FRIDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2003
402 Women and Girls Are Primary Victims Of HIV/AIDS in Africa
(Undersecretary Dobriansky addresses HIV/AIDS Forum) (1010)
405 Sex Trafficking: An Affront to Human Dignity
(FR) (Victims and activists speak out at Washington conference) (1110)
406 Text: Global Population Estimates Reduced Because of
HIV/AIDS
(FR) (U.N. projections for 2050 lowered by 278 million due to epidemic) (2290)
407 Text: Environment Agency Approves Use of Bioengineered Corn
Pest Control
(New product will reduce reliance on insecticides) (760)
*AEF402 02/27/2003
Women and Girls Are Primary Victims Of HIV/AIDS in Africa
(Undersecretary Dobriansky addresses HIV/AIDS Forum) (1010)
By Charles W. Corey
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington – Although women and girls represent one-half of all HIV/AIDS infections worldwide, in sub-Saharan Africa women are twice as likely to be infected as men, says Paula Dobriansky, U.S. undersecretary of state for global affairs. And the long-term effects on African society are incalculable.
In a February 26 address to a day-long conference examining the destabilizing consequences of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, Dobriansky reminded her audience that in sub-Saharan Africa, "almost twice as many young women ages 15-24 are infected as men of the same age. In some Caribbean countries, HIV rates are five times higher in girls than in boys," she added, citing last year's U.N. AIDS report as her source.
In addition to that report, which she termed "very significant" in raising the level of awareness of HIV/AIDS and of the particular vulnerabilities of women and young girls, Dobrianksy also called attention to another report from Human Rights Watch entitled "Suffering in Silence: Human Rights Abuses and HIV Transmissions to Girls in Zambia."
That report, she said, "detailed the sexual abuse and other sexual human rights abuses of Zambian girls, especially those orphaned by AIDS." Protecting young girls and women, the report notes, is ‘key' to curbing the epidemic.
Children and particularly girls, Dobriansky said, are unfortunately all too often "forced into becoming caregivers and breadwinners, and forced to leave school to care for family members who are sick due to AIDS, or to work to support their family when others are too sick to do so. This is the scope, in a nutshell, of the problem that we are dealing with."
Dobriansky then went on to outline what could be done to confront the burgeoning pandemic:
-- Provide enhanced education and counseling, which, she said, involves "arming women with the kind of education that they need to make informed decisions...across the board," in health, and other areas as well. Dobriansky recalled that during a recent trip to Afghanistan to attend the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council, the number one priority there was education. "Clearly," she added, "It affects not only this area but the totality of what we are addressing."
-- Raise awareness of the problem among the population, informing legislatures and educating law enforcement. "We have to have effective ways and means of disseminating information not just to urban sectors but to rural sectors..." she said, as well as ensuring that effective public information strategies are in place.
-- Offer employment and business opportunities. "Clearly, by increasing women's access to employment, credit, micro-finance and inheritance," she said, women become empowered with what they need to survive. "The lack of income-generating opportunities available to girls and women often leads them to look for non-traditional avenues to gain financial support, including relationships with older men, " she warned.
-- Provide opportunities to play a role in government. By encouraging women to play a greater role in government, women can help overcome the destructive patterns now evident, she said. "To be politically active, to take on advocacy roles, whether in government or out of government -- networking, forming associations -- this has a multiplier effect," she said, because it builds on, nurtures and encourages a "heightened awareness among populations" and allows women to have a "direct impact" on decisions that can and should be taken in societies across the globe.
-- Fight poverty and famines, which are closely linked with the state of women's health. In this regard, Dobriansky cited President Bush's Millennium Challenge Account, which underscores the importance of public-private partnerships and which takes a "vital" first step in the anti-poverty campaign. Equally important, she added, is the responsibility of developing countries to invest in their people, practice good governance, initiate economic reforms -- which she said – have "everything to do with education and health."
-- Provide enhanced testing for HIV/AIDS victims, as well as enhanced education to help remove the stigma that is often borne by the victims of HIV/AIDS.
Focusing on the U.S. response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Dobriansky pledged that the United States is "committed to combating HIV/AIDS, including [paying heed to] the gender dimensions of the pandemic." She quoted President Bush's reference to the U.S. commitment to fighting AIDS worldwide in his recent State of the Union Address: "Seldom has history offered a greater opportunity to do so much for so many."
The U. S. government, she told her audience, is committed to fighting the pandemic through prevention, treatment, care and support activities and partnerships with a "vast network" of other organizations, businesses, the United Nations and other governments.
Dobriansky also cited President Bush's proposal for an emergency plan for HIV/AIDS relief that would provide $15,000 million, including nearly $10,000 million in new funds, over the next five years. Reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS is a "major U.S. priority," she said, and a key part of the president's emergency plan. This effort, she said, is further buttressed by the many bilateral HIV/AIDS prevention programs conducted by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) around the world.
Dobriansky also noted a current major conference on human trafficking, which was co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Human trafficking, she reminded everyone, disproportionately effects women and children, and stands as a problem that is closely linked to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Concluding, Dobriansky credited U.S. embassies around the globe with their work against HIV/AIDS. As an example, she said, the U.S. embassy in Budapest is planning a conference in March to address the link between human trafficking and public health.
Chiefs of Mission [U.S. Ambassadors] meetings have also been held, she said, in places like Haiti, South Africa, Ukraine and Russia, which have brought together U.S. officials and organizations to talk about a "best practices" strategy in fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs,
U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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*AEF405 02/27/2003
Sex Trafficking: An Affront to Human Dignity
(FR) (Victims and activists speak out at Washington conference) (1110)
By Charlene Porter
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Ghanga speaks softly in her native language as she sits in front of bright television lights and a translator conveys her story to a polished American television reporter. The story starts when she is about 10 years old, living in a village in rural India, then goes to a day when she takes an outing to Mumbai. She is separated from her friends, alone, lost and crying in a train station in a strange city. A man approaches and offers her sympathy and shelter. She is a frightened young girl from a small rural village; she trusts him and follows.
Her good Samaritan sells her to a brothel where she is kept for about two years, locked in a room most of the time. Only meals and customers come through the door.
She recounts this dreadful history in an almost matter of fact way, her tone reflecting little of the tragedy and horror of the events themselves. But then she comes to the part about how she was able to escape, how she tried to go home to her village and her family would have none of her. Tears begin to course down her face, but her story goes on and her voice remains steady. Ghanga went to an uncle whose love she thought she could trust.
"But he did not accept me," Ghanga says through her translator.
Ghanga squares her shoulders, wipes the tears and the story takes a better turn. She finds her way to a nongovernmental organization known as International Teen Challenge, which provides shelter and rehabilitation to liberate women from the sex industry. For four years, Ghanga, now 16, has worked at a shelter for trafficking victims operated by the U.S.-based nongovernmental organization Shared Hope International.
"I am very happy now," Ghanga says, tears dried by a warm smile. Having experienced exploitation that no child should know, somehow Ghanga has regained a life, a home, friends, and a future, but salvaging her dignity may be the most remarkable thing of all.
"One of the greatest threats to human dignity is human trafficking: the commodification of human beings," according to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. He spoke in Washington February 25 at an international conference "Path-breaking Strategies in the Global Fight Against Sex Trafficking," the same conference at which Ghanga sat before the television lights and shared her story with strangers.
"We must and we will continue to work together to protect the victims of trafficking and to bring to justice all those who violate their human dignity," said Ashcroft in prepared remarks to an audience of about 400 activists from 113 nations. The crowd gave the attorney general a standing ovation at these words.
The Justice Department has prosecuted a record number of human traffickers over the last two years, Ashcroft said, more than double the number in the two years prior. Thirty-six defendants have been prosecuted in sex trafficking cases in the United States over the last two years.
An estimated 50,000 women and children are trafficked into the United States each year, according to the best estimates available for such a clandestine activity.
In separate speeches to the conference, the attorney general and other top administration officials outlined a range of programs recently initiated to provide greater services and support for the victims of what Ashcroft described as "one of the most heinous crimes plaguing our society." Working through a variety of governmental and nongovernmental agencies, the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services are attempting to ensure that when victims of human trafficking are liberated from their captors they are not treated like criminals and victimized again. Government programs are providing emergency medical attention, food, shelter, vocational and English language training, mental health counseling, immigration assistance and legal support.
These programs all arise from the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, passed by the Congress in 2000. Another significant provision in that law requires the State Department to conduct an annual worldwide survey of how well nations are doing in complying with international anti-trafficking agreements. This year the survey will be conducted for the third time, and the law will move into a tougher stage. Nations that are found to be falling short -- failing to prevent this crime, prosecute the traffickers and protect the victims -- can be subject to U.S. sanctions.
Though this law and the prospect of these sanctions is old news for U.S. activists concerned about human trafficking, many of the 400 attending the Washington conference learned about the strength of the U.S. commitment to combat these crimes for the first time.
"They don't know that America is putting pressure on their countries by these reports," said Linda Smith, founder of Shared Hope International, a nongovernmental organization working with like-minded groups worldwide to prevent trafficking, and provide rescue and shelter to its victims.
In a Washington File interview, Smith said that the unequivocal commitment to the cause forcefully stated by the administration during the conference is among its most significant achievements. "We're saying, ‘we're putting pressure on your country; you keep working, and we're going to stand with you ... as America.'"
Lela, 26 years old, is an anti-trafficking crusader from Nepal, the home country for many of the girls and women who end up in the brothels of India. She goes to the villages and talks to parents and girls and warns them of what can happen when they listen to the promises of a stranger. She goes to the cities, finds prostitutes on the streets and attempts to bring them to shelter and a new life.
"I have great hope in the future," Lela said when questioned about the value of the conference for her. She has been doing this work in an isolated region for three years, and has often felt like a small force combating a large problem. "We could see around the world there are also problems. If all the international (activists), if they come together, they can help in Nepal."
Renu is another victim of trafficking who sits before the television cameras with poise and dignity. Now 22, she was sold into prostitution by her own family at about 15 and kept in a brothel for four years. She reveals only sparse details of the beating, abuse and degradation of that experience. Asked about the significance of the conference and what it should produce, Renu says softly, simply, "You must help these ladies."
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs,
U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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*AEF406 02/27/2003
Text: Global Population Estimates Reduced Because of HIV/AIDS
(FR) (U.N. projections for 2050 lowered by 278 million due to epidemic) (2290)
Deaths caused by the HIV/AIDS epidemic will reduce the world's population by 278 million below what it would have otherwise been in 2050, according to new projections from the U.N. Population Division. In the 2002 revision of the official U.N. population estimates released February 26, HIV/AIDS and a reduced number of projected births are cited as dual factors in a total decline in the revised estimate of 400 million.
Overall, world population is projected to be 8,900 million in 2050 as contrasted with the estimate of 9,300 million issued in a 2000 report.
"The 2002 Revision indicates a worsening of the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in terms of increased morbidity, mortality and population loss," according to a press release issued with the report. "Although the probability of being infected by HIV is assumed to decline significantly in the future (particularly after 2010), the long-term impact of the epidemic remains dire."
A moderately high fertility rate will offset epidemic-related deaths in the affected countries so that their populations are generally expected to be larger by mid-century than today, according to the U.N.'s population data. Four countries where the current rate of infection is above 20 percent are expected to see decreases in their overall populations, however. They are Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland.
Further details about the revised population figures are available at http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2002/WPP2002-HIGHLIGHS.PDF
(begin text)
UNITED NATIONS
February 26, 2003
BELOW-REPLACEMENT FERTILITY EXPECTED IN 75 PER CENT OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BY YEAR 2050 ACCORDING TO UN POPULATION REPORT
NEW YORK (UN Population Division) -- The newly released 2002 Revision of the official United Nations population estimates and projections breaks new ground in terms of the assumptions made on future human fertility and the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. For the first time, the United Nations Population Division projects that future fertility levels in most developing countries will likely fall below 2.1 children per woman, the level needed to ensure the long-term replacement of the population, at some point in the twenty-first century. By 2050, the medium variant of the 2002 Revision projects that three out of every four countries in the less developed regions will be experiencing below-replacement fertility.
With respect to HIV/AIDS, the 2002 Revision anticipates a more serious and prolonged impact of the epidemic in the most affected countries than in previous revisions. The impact of the disease is explicitly modeled for 53 countries, up from the 45 considered in the 2000 Revision. The dynamics of the epidemic, as estimated by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), are assumed to remain unchanged until 2010. Thereafter, prevalence levels are assumed to decline in a manner consistent with modifications of behavior that reduce the rates of recruitment into the high risk groups as well as the chances of infection among those engaging in high risk behavior. The resulting HIV prevalence levels remain relatively high until 2010 and then decline, but are still substantial by mid-century.
As a consequence of these changes, the 2002 Revision projects a lower population in 2050 than the 2000 Revision did: 8.9 billion instead of 9.3 billion according to the medium variant. About half of the 0.4 billion difference in these projected populations results from an increase in the number of projected deaths, the majority stemming from higher projected levels of HIV prevalence. The other half of the difference reflects a reduction in the projected number of births, primarily as a result of lower expected future fertility levels.
The 2002 Revision confirms key conclusions from previous revisions. Despite the lower fertility levels projected and the increased mortality risks to which some populations will be subject, the population of the world is expected to increase by 2.6 billion during the next 47 years, from 6.3 billion today to 8.9 billion in 2050. However, the realization of these projections is contingent on ensuring that couples have access to family planning and that efforts to arrest the current spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic are successful in reducing its growth momentum. The potential for considerable population increase remains high. According to the results of the 2002 Revision, if fertility were to remain constant in all countries at current levels, the total population of the globe could more than double by 2050, reaching 12.8 billion. Even a somewhat slower reduction of fertility than that projected in the medium variant would result in additional billions of people. Thus, if women were to have, on average, about half a child more than according to the medium variant, world population might rise to 10.6 billion in 2050 as projected in the high variant.
The increasing diversity of population dynamics among the countries and regions of the world is evident in the results of the 2002 Revision. Whereas today the population of the more developed regions of the world is rising at an annual rate of 0.25 per cent, that of the less developed regions is increasing nearly six times as fast, at 1.46 per cent, and the subset of the 49 least developed countries is experiencing even more rapid population growth (2.4 per cent per year). Such differences, although somewhat dampened, will persist until 2050. By that time, the population of the more developed regions will have been declining for 20 years, whereas the population of the less developed regions will still be rising at an annual rate of 0.4 per cent. More importantly, the population of the least developed countries will likely be rising at a robust annual rate of over 1.2 per cent in 2045-2050.
As a result of these trends, the population of more developed regions, currently at 1.2 billion, is anticipated to change little during the next 50 years. In addition, because fertility levels for most of the developed countries are expected to remain below replacement level during 2000-2050, the populations of 33 countries are projected to be smaller by mid-century than today (e.g., 14 per cent smaller in Japan; 22 per cent smaller in Italy, and between 30 and 50 per cent smaller in the cases of Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, the Russian Federation and Ukraine).
The population of the less developed regions is projected to rise steadily from 4.9 billion in 2000 to 7.7 billion in 2050 (medium variant). Particularly rapid growth is expected among the least developed countries whose population is projected to rise from 668 million to 1.7 billion despite the fact that their fertility is projected to decline markedly in the future (from 5.1 children per woman today to 2.5 children per woman in 2045-2050). With sustained annual growth rates higher than 2.5 per cent between 2000 and 2050, the populations of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Somalia, Uganda and Yemen are projected to quadruple, passing from 85 million to 369 million in total.
Large population increments are expected among the most populous countries even if their fertility levels are projected to be low. Thus, during 2000-2050, eight countries (India, Pakistan, Nigeria, the United States, China, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, in order of population increment) are expected to account for half of the world's projected population increase.
The past 50 years witnessed a remarkable reduction of fertility levels in the less developed regions, with total fertility falling from six to three children per woman. Over the next 50 years, fertility in less developed regions is expected to reach replacement level in 2030-2035 and fall below it thereafter. However, average fertility in the less developed regions as a whole is still expected to be slightly above two children per woman in 2045-2050, mainly because of the increasing heterogeneity of population dynamics among developing countries. Thus, the 49 least developed countries are expected to have a total fertility of 2.5 children per woman in 2045-2050, well above replacement level. That is, the 2002 Revision foresees that by mid-century there will still be a significant number of countries where the transition to very low fertility will not be completed.
Increasing diversity is also evident with respect to future mortality levels. At the world level, life expectancy at birth is likely to rise from 65 years today to 74 years in 2045-2050. But whereas more developed regions, whose life expectancy today is estimated at 76 years, will see it rise to 82 years, that of less developed regions will remain considerably below, reaching 73 years by mid-century (up from 63 years today). In the group of least developed countries, many of which are highly affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, life expectancy today is still below 50 years and is not expected to exceed 67 years by 2050. So, although the gap in life expectancy between the different groups of countries is expected to narrow, major differences in the probabilities of survival will remain evident by mid-century.
The 2002 Revision indicates a worsening of the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in terms of increased morbidity, mortality and population loss. Although the probability of being infected by HIV is assumed to decline significantly in the future (particularly after 2010), the long-term impact of the epidemic remains dire. Over the current decade, the number of excess deaths because of AIDS among the 53 most affected countries is estimated at 46 million and that figure is projected to ascend to 278 million by 2050. Despite the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the populations of the affected countries are generally expected to be larger by mid-century than today, mainly because most of them maintain moderate fertility levels. However, for the seven most affected countries in southern Africa, where current HIV prevalence is above 20 per cent, the population is projected to increase only slightly, from 74 million in 2000 to 78 million in 2050, and outright reductions in population are projected for Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland.
The deeper reductions of fertility projected in the 2002 Revision result in a faster ageing of the population of developing countries than in previous revisions. Globally, the number of older persons (60 years or over) will nearly triple, increasing from 606 million in 2000 to nearly 1.9 billion by 2050. Whereas six of every 10 of those older persons live today in less developed regions, by 2050, eight of every 10 will do so. An even more marked increase is expected in the number of the oldest-old (80 years or over) at the global level: from 69 million in 2000 to 377 million in 2050. In less developed regions, the rise will be from 32 million to 265 million, again implying that most oldest old will live in less developed countries by 2050.
In more developed regions, the population aged 60 or over currently constitutes 19 per cent of the population; by 2050 it will account for 32 per cent of the population. The elderly population has already surpassed the child population (persons aged 0-14) and by 2050 there will be 2 elderly persons for every child. In the less developed regions, the proportion of the population aged 60 or over will rise from 8 per cent in 2000 to close to 20 per cent in 2050.
Increases in the median age, the age at which 50 per cent of the population is older and 50 per cent is younger than that age, reflect the ageing of the population. At the world level, the median age rose by scarcely three years between 1950 and 2000, from 23.6 years to 26.4 years largely because most populations in less developed countries remained young. Over the next 50 years, however, the world's median age will rise by nearly 10 years, to reach 37 years. Among developed countries, 17 are expected to have a median age of 50 years or more, with Japan, Latvia and Slovenia (each with a median age of about 53 years), and the Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Singapore and Spain (each with a median age of about 52 years) leading the list. At the other end of the spectrum, Angola, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Somalia, Uganda and Yemen expect to have very young populations, with median ages lower than 23 years in 2050.
International migration is projected to remain high during the first half of the century. The more developed regions are expected to remain net receivers of international migrants, with an average gain of about 2 million per year over the next 50 years. Averaged over the 2000-2050 period, the main net gainers of international migrants are the United States (1.1 million annual net migrants), Germany (211,000), Canada (173,000), the United Kingdom (136,000) and Australia (83,000), whereas the major net senders are China (-303,000 annual net number of migrants), Mexico, (-267,000), India (-222,000), the Philippines (-184,000) and Indonesia (-180,000).
A more detailed summary of the key findings of the 2002 Revision is available as World Population Prospects: The 2002 Revision, Highlights (United Nations, February 2003). This document will be posted on the Population Division's web site at www.unpopulation.org. The full results of the 2002 Revision will be issued in a series of three volumes and a wall chart that are under preparation as well as in electronic format.
For further information on the 2002 Revision, please contact Joseph Chamie, Director, Population Division, New York, NY 10017, USA; tel: (212) 963-3179, fax: (212) 963-2147).
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of
State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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*AEF407 02/27/2003
Text: Environment Agency Approves Use of Bioengineered Corn Pest Control
(New product will reduce reliance on insecticides) (760)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the use of a new bioengineered plant protectant designed to control corn (maize) rootworm, a widespread and destructive insect plaguing the U.S. crop.
A February 25 press release says the new corn pest control, which produces within the plant its own insecticide derived from Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) – a naturally occurring soil bacterium – will provide corn growers with a safe, non-chemical pest control alternative to the numerous conventional insecticides currently in use.
The reduced pesticide use will benefit the environment directly and can mean less potentially harmful chemical exposure to people who apply pesticides to corn, according to the release.
Stephen Johnson, EPA's assistant administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, says the new product was approved only after an intensive, multi-year scientific analysis to ensure that it is safe for human health and the environment.
As with all similar products, EPA has approved the new corn pest control, referred to as "MON 863" and developed by Monsanto, for limited-time use that will be subject to reevaluation in several years.
More information on EPA's regulation of bioengineered products can be found at the following Web site: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/
Following is the text of the press release:
(begin text)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Headquarters Press Release
February 25, 2003
NEW CORN PEST CONTROL APPROVED BY EPA CAN LEAD TO REDUCED PESTICIDE USE
Non-Chemical Alternative To Conventional Insecticides For Control Of Corn Rootworm
After an intensive, multi-year scientific analysis, EPA has approved the use of a new plant-incorporated protectant designed to control corn rootworm, a widespread and destructive insect in the United States. This new product will provide corn growers with a safe, non-chemical pest control alternative that can reduce reliance on traditional insecticides. The reduced pesticide use will benefit the environment directly and can mean less exposure to people who apply chemical pesticides to corn.
"EPA has put this new product through a rigorous, science-based review process, including extensive public comment and independent scientific peer review, to ensure that it is safe for human health and the environment," commented Stephen L. Johnson, EPA's Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances. "This new variety of corn pest control holds great promise for reducing reliance on conventional insecticides now used on millions of acres of corn in the U.S." continued Johnson.
The new corn pest control, referred to as "MON 863" and developed by Monsanto, produces its own insecticide within the plant derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a naturally occurring soil bacterium. The Bt protein, called Cry3Bb1, controls corn rootworm, a highly destructive pest responsible for the single largest use of conventional insecticides in the United States. At roughly 80 million planted acres, corn is the largest crop grown in the United States. Use of the new pest-control tool is expected to result in major reductions in the use of numerous conventional insecticides. Many of the older alternative insecticides belong to the organophosphate and carbamate chemical classes which have been the subject of increased EPA analysis and regulatory restrictions since passage of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996.
In order to reduce the possibility of corn rootworm developing resistance to Bt, EPA is requiring Monsanto to ensure that 20 percent of the planted acreage of this product be set aside where non-Bt corn will be grown to serve as a "refuge." These refuge areas will support populations of corn rootworm not exposed to the Bt bacterium. The insect populations in the refuges will help prevent resistance development when they cross-breed with insects in the Bt fields. This resistance management strategy was developed as a condition of the registration, and EPA will require routine monitoring and documentation that these measures are followed. EPA is also requiring Monsanto to conduct additional research on corn rootworm to ensure that optimal long-term resistance management practices are maintained.
Today's action is based on a thorough and comprehensive scientific and regulatory evaluation by EPA. It also builds upon a multi-year reassessment performed by the Agency on all currently available Bt plant-incorporated protectants regulated by EPA which was completed in October 2001. As with all similar products, EPA has approved MON 863 for time-limited use which will be subject to reevaluation in several years. For more information on EPA's regulation of these products, see: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of
State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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