Building Biosecurity Planning and Surveillance Capacity for APEC Member Economies

Honorable Y.B. Tan Sri Dato' Hj. Muhyiddin bin Mohd. Yasin,
Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry,
Malaysia,Distinguished delegates from APEC Member Economies,

It is my great honour and pleasure to be in Kuala Lumpur at the APEC Workshops on Building Biosecurity Planning and Surveillance Capacity for APEC Member Economies. It is indeed significant that this Workshop is attended by representatives of the APEC Member Economies, scientists, officials responsible for regulatory and policy formulation functions, especially those who are involved in the implementation of national plant quarantine and biosecurity services.

On behalf of the APEC Secretariat may I warmly welcome you all to this important event and wish you a productive workshop.

Since its creation in 1989, APEC has become the premier economic forum for enhancing economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Our 21 Member Economies have made commitment to pursue sustainable and equitable growth, to reduce economic disparities and to enhance the sense of community in our region. To achieve this, APEC Leaders pledged to meet APEC's Bogor Goals of free and open trade and investment by the target dates of 2020 for developing economies and 2010 for industrialized economies. These core Bogor Goals are further enhanced by APEC commitments on human security, efforts to promote good governance and measures to contribute to the building of a knowledge-based society.

This year marks the half-way point between the establishment of APEC and the year 2020 target date for our Bogor Goals. We are now in the process of taking stock of our achievements and setting a course for the future.

The main theme for this pivotal APEC year, that is hosted by the Republic of Korea, is "Towards One Community: Meet the Challenge, Make the Change." Working to this theme, in 2005 APEC is seeking to build on our achievements of past years and make real change to meet our objectives for the years to come. This includes issues that we will discuss at this workshop such as setting new requirements for the protection of our community and its resources.

In the current global environment, biosecurity is assuming greater economic and social importance. The damage inflicted upon regional agriculture and the threat posed to human well-being by the outbreak of Avian Influenza, and most recently swine flu, demonstrate the need for increased biosecurity planning and surveillance capacity. This level of planning requires coordination and cooperation across borders and forums such as APEC if we are to reduce the risk posed by infectious diseases, unwanted substances and contaminants in our food supply.

In order to promote efficient biosecurity planning it is imperative that economies have a sound knowledge of the health status of their agricultural and forestry industries and native flora. Economies must also be able to draw on specimen-based records and implement effective surveillance systems.

APEC's role in enhancing biosecurity capacity lies in working with economies and other international organisations to build regional knowledge, skills and interaction. I would like to share some of these details with you.

Last year Malaysia proposed an initiative that helped the Agricultural Technical Cooperation (ATC) Working Group to develop new measures on bio-security planning and surveillance for plant pests through a series of regional workshops.

The ATC Working Group also conducted a productive meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in June 2004, where APEC Member economies agreed to strengthen biosecurity planning and surveillance capacity in the agricultural sector.

Last September the ATCWG held a workshop in Chinese Taipei on the control of the Golden Apple Snail, and last month the Health Task Force held a symposium on ways to reduce the impact of Avian Influenza.

Next month in Beijing, APEC will hold a workshop with government and private sector representatives to address the ecological damage and economic cost caused by Invasive Alien Species. The workshop will develop an overarching strategy and a cross-cutting action plan to firstly, build capacity to manage Invasive Alien Species in APEC economies, secondly, to strengthen national and regional institutional cooperation and infrastructure, and finally, to design activities to combat Invasive Alien Species.

APEC's work on biosecurity also includes the development of a Regional Risk Management Framework for APEC economies to control and prevent introduced marine pests. Customs authorities are using new tools to match DNA samples from suspected plants and animals with remotely stored databases so as to greatly improve biosecurity and border protection.

Kuala Lumpur Workshop on Building Biosecurity Planning and Surveillance Capacity

This regional workshop on bio-security planning and surveillance for plant pests that we are attending today, will look at the principles and current state of knowledge on surveillance. Participants will also be asked to provide critical feedback on the manual on plant pest surveillance being written for developing economies. Participants will also engage in exercises requiring them to develop surveillance strategies targeting exotic pest threats.

By strengthening the biosecurity capacity of Member Economies APEC hopes to ensure that our agricultural sector can avert disasters and recover quickly after any threat has passed.

This workshop is also contributing to APEC's trade facilitation goals by strengthening the credentials of member economies to demonstarte that its production areas and ecosystems are free from undesirable species. This is particularly relevant as tariffs are reduced while at the same time non-tariff measures, such as Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures become more important elements which could affect trade. This applies to both the WTO SPS Agreement and bilateral free trade agreements.

Ultimately, for APEC to achieve its goals of building a stable, secure and prosperous region, it is essential that we protect both our agricultural sectors and our people from outbreaks of undesirable pests and diseases. This workshop will help strengthen the capacity of APEC economies to do this. Moreover, it will contribute to market access negotiations by demonstrating the pest status of a particular area. The workshop will also help APEC Member Economies to implement SPS measures in compliance with the requirements of the WTO SPS Agreement.

In conclusion, allow me to take this opportunity to thank the Government of Malaysia for organizing this important workshop. I also thank the Government of Australia for its significant contribution, both in terms of financial and personnel support, that has been contributed to this work over many years. My thanks also go to Dr Se-Ik Oh, as the Lead Shepherd of the ATCWG, for his contribution to APEC work in this very important field.

The APEC Secretariat will continue to provide our utmost support and be ready to assist our Project Overseers in any way we can. We are very happy to have Mr Bruce Bennett, an experienced agricultural scientist from Australia, as the Program Director supporting the ATCWG.

To conclude, I would like to extend my deep appreciation to you, Y.B. Tan Sri Dato' Hj. Muhyiddin bin Mohd. Yasin, and your esteemed Ministry for your warm hospitality and excellent arrangements. I firmly believe that by working together, APEC members can build on the successes of the past, and further develop our capacity to help meet the challenges ahead.

I look forward to useful and practical outcomes from this workshop.

Thank you.