The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Working
Group for the Harmonization of Regulatory Oversight (Working Group) has
taken the opportunity over the last several years to identify the challenges
to environmental risk assessment of transgenic organisms, particularly
plants. These initiatives have included most importantly, a report to the
G8, the Rapporteur's Report from the OECD international symposium on LMOs
and the Environment; and an internal workshop on Review of Consensus
Documents and Future Work in Harmonization that emphasized priority setting.
The outcome of these endeavors has informed the development of subsequent
programs of work adopted by the Working Group. This paper identifies points
raised at these conferences and meetings that relate to the
science underpinning risk/safety assessment. Many of the points are similar
over the timeframe of these endeavors and are still of current importance.
The discussions at the OECD workshop on risk assessment held in Korea during
the 9th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically
Modified Organisms will also influence the subsequent projects and priorities of
the Working Group.