At this workshop, a draft of the “Policy Approaches Document for Regulatory Cooperation on Agricultural Biotechnology” (PAD) was introduced. The process of developing the document began on July 30-31, 2023 in Seattle, at the Workshop on Reducing Redundancies and Facilitating Efficiencies – Regulatory and Policy Solutions for Oversight of Agricultural Biotechnologies, during which member economy representatives shared their ideas and experiences. The outline for the PAD was then presented at the 2023 APEC HLPDAB plenary meeting.

To develop a draft of the Policy Approaches Document, AFSI conducted three consultative meetings in 2024 to gather input from APEC member economies, with the aim of ensuring the document is fit for purpose and represents policy approaches that have real opportunities for practical uptake. The first session focused on information sharing, and it was followed by a second on aligning data requirements, standardizing application and dossier templates, and harmonizing risk assessment methodologies. The final meeting discussed mutual recognition of risk assessments.

In addition to introducing a draft of the Policy Approaches Document, AFSI also presented the companion online portal (biotechpolicyportal.org) that showcases case studies of successful approaches to regulatory cooperation. During the workshop, attendees had the opportunity to browse the website and provide feedback on this practical tool for facilitating regulatory cooperation in agricultural biotechnology. While this publicly accessible resource was developed in response to needs identified in the HLPDAB, it is designed to have broad relevance beyond APEC.