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MOP 5 Decision BS-V/16

BS-V/16.Strategic plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety for the period 2011-2020

The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,
Recalling decision BS-IV/15 that invited Parties to make submissions on a strategic plan for the Protocol and requested the Executive Secretary to present a strategic plan for consideration at the present meeting,
Taking note of the submissions of Parties and other Governments; and the consultative processes conducted, under the guidance of the Bureau, with a view to contribute to the development of a strategic plan;
1.Adopts the Strategic Plan of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety for the period 2011 2020 (annex I to the present decision) and its multi-year programme of work of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (annex II to the present decision);
2.Urges Parties and invites other Governments and relevant international organizations, as appropriate, to:
(a)Review and align, as appropriate, their national action plans and programmes relevant to the implementation of the Protocol, including their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, with the Strategic Plan; and
(b)Allocate adequate human and financial resources necessary to expedite the implementation of the Strategic Plan;
3.Urges Parties to submit their national reports on the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in a comprehensive and timely manner using the second national reporting format in order for the second assessment and review on the effectiveness of the Protocol to, among other things, establish a baseline for evaluating progress in the implementation of the Protocol and the Strategic Plan;
4.Decides to conduct a mid-term evaluation of the Strategic Plan:
(a)Five years after its adoption in conjunction with the third assessment and review scheduled to be conducted at the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol;
(b)Using appropriate evaluation criteria that need to be proposed by the Executive Secretary at the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol.

Annex I

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY FOR THE PERIOD 2011-2020

I.THE CONTEXT

1.The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was adopted in January 2000 and entered into force on 11 September 2003. The first meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (COP-MOP) adopted, on the basis of recommendations from the Intergovernmental Committee on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, a medium-term programme of work for the period covering the second to the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol.
2.Over the past six years since the first meeting of the Parties, significant achievements have been made towards the implementation of the Protocol. The number of Parties has increased by more than 100 since the entry into force of the Protocol. Many decisions have been adopted to facilitate the implementation of the Protocol and the Biosafety Clearing House became fully operational. More than 100 countries received, through the implementing agencies of the Global Environment Facility, capacity-building assistance in support of their efforts to develop and implement their national biosafety legal and administrative frameworks. The number of bilateral, sub-regional and regional cooperative arrangements to support biosafety capacity building activities has also increased in the past years.
3.The medium-term programme of work of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol has been instrumental in guiding the implementation of the Protocol. The medium term programme of work is due to end at the present meeting of the Parties to the Protocol.
4.A process was established to undertake an assessment and review of the effectiveness of the Protocol in accordance with Article 35 of the Protocol. The initiation of the assessment and review process on the one hand, and the completion of the medium term programme of work on the other, presented an opportunity for Parties to consider developing a long term vision for the Protocol in the form of a strategic plan and a corresponding multi-year programme of work. This also coincides with the ongoing process to revise and update the Strategic Plan of the Convention in light of the resolve for action beyond the 2010 biodiversity target.
5.Significant challenges remain as regards the implementation of the Protocol. The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol still needs to provide additional guidance and clarify procedures and processes in a number of areas, such as the application of the advance informed agreement procedure, compliance (Article 34), liability and redress (Article 27), risk assessment and risk management (Articles 15 and 16), handling, transport, packaging and identification (Article 18) and capacity-building (Article 22). One of the major prerequisites of successful implementation of planned activities is the provision of sufficient financial resources including alternative mechanisms for funding and technical support especially for developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
6.This Strategic Plan and the multi-year programme of work accompanying it (annex II) have been prepared on the basis of the submissions from Parties, the analysis of the first national reports, the successive decisions taken by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol at its last four meetings, and through general discussions and comments received from Parties, other Governments and stakeholders. The Strategic Plan also takes into account the experience gained through the development, implementation and revision of the Strategic Plan of the Convention.

II.THE STRATEGIC PLAN: ITS INTERPRETATION AND MONITORING

7.The Strategic Plan consists of a vision, a mission and five strategic objectives. For each strategic objective there are a number of expected impacts, operational objectives, outcomes and indicators. The strategic objectives have been derived and prioritized according to their contribution to the full implementation of the Protocol, taking into consideration the limited implementation as established by the Assessment and Review process. The focal areas underlying the five strategic objectives are, in their order of priority, as follows: 1. Facilitating the establishment and further development of effective biosafety systems for the implementation of the Protocol; 2. Capacity-building; 3. Compliance and review; 4. Information sharing; 5. Outreach and cooperation.
8.The vision and mission are the overarching statements of the desired future state and the purpose that the Strategic Plan strives to achieve in the long run while the five strategic objectives spell out what will need to be met in order for the vision and the mission to be achieved within the ten-year duration of the Plan. In addition, the Strategic Plan has been presented in the form of a logical framework for ease of reference:
(a)Each strategic objective has a number of expected impacts that will occur if the strategic objective is achieved;
(b)The operational objectives comprise actions that will need to be undertaken in order to realise the impacts;
(c)The outcomes are the consequences that would be seen if the operational objectives are achieved, an aggregation of the outcomes will result in the impacts of the strategic goals; and
(d)The indicators serve as a monitoring and evaluation tool of the Strategic Plan for measuring achievements.
9.The stakeholders of the Strategic Plan will vary depending on the issues, the actions or activities described in the Plan. Some of the actions will be undertaken by either the Parties or other Governments or the Secretariat or other organizations or individuals or a combination of all.
10.The elements of the Strategic Plan should also be interpreted in light of the text of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Any interpretation and understanding of the Strategic Plan should be considered only in the context and scope of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
11.This Strategic Plan will be implemented through a ten-year programme of work for the Protocol, supported by biennial work plans. The multi-year programme of work will, if necessary, be adjusted from time to time on the basis of: (i) experience gained in the implementation of the requirements of the Protocol; and (ii) the result of the periodic assessment and review of the effectiveness of the Protocol as provided for in Article 35 of the Protocol. A mid-term evaluation will be undertaken five years after the adoption of the Strategic Plan. This evaluation process will use the indicators in the Strategic Plan to assess the extent to which the strategic objectives are being achieved. Information will be drawn mainly from the national reports and from other sources that are relevant and available to generate the data necessary for the analysis. The evaluation will capture the effectiveness of the Strategic Plan and allow Parties to adapt to emerging trends in the implementation of the Protocol. Sufficient resources will need to be allocated to this process.

III.ASSUMPTIONS

12.A number of assumptions have been made in the development of the Strategic Plan. First, it is assumed that the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol will adopt a number of decisions including on: common approaches to risk assessment and risk management; identification and documentation; a supplementary protocol on liability and redress; and socio-economic considerations and decision-making. It is also assumed that:
(a)Parties and subregional organizations are incorporating rules and procedures from the decisions of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol into their national or regional frameworks;
(b)The “Action Plan for Building Capacities for the Effective Implementation of the Protocol” will be regularly updated, agreed upon and implemented;
(c)Parties will submit, in a timely manner, national reports and the required information, such as existing laws and regulations, and decisions on living modified organisms, to the Biosafety Clearing-House;
(d)Adequate and predictable resources will be made available at the national and international level. It is also noted that biennial detailed budgets presented at each meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol during the duration of the Strategic Plan are essential for the effective implementation of the Strategic Plan.
13.A further assumption is that a baseline of the status of implementation of the Protocol and global indicators will be established after the second assessment and review process of the Protocol at the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol to establish a global picture. The indicators have been drafted in such a way that they would facilitate measurement of progress against this baseline.

IV.HUMAN RESOURCE NEEDS TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN

14.The implementation of the Strategic Plan calls for adequate financial resources to support relevant activities at the national level as well as activities that are expected to be conducted by the Secretariat.
15.It is recognized that Parties are facing challenges accessing funds available under the existing financial mechanism. It is, therefore, necessary to take measures that improve accessibility of available funds. In this regard, the Global Environment Facility is invited to make funds available to eligible Parties in a facilitated manner and to monitor expeditious accessibility of those funds. Parties are also invited to provide, in their national reports in the section of the reporting format that refers to capacity building, information on their experience in accessing existing funds from the Global Environment Facility.
The table of this annex is available in PDF format.

Annex II

PROGRAMME OF WORK OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES SERVING AS THE MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY FOR THE PERIOD 2012 2016

1.Standing items:
(a)Matters relating to the financial mechanism and resources;
(b)Report of the Executive Secretary on the administration of the Protocol;
(c)Programme of work and budget for the Secretariat as regards its costs of distinct secretariat services for the Protocol;
(d)Report from, and consideration of recommendations from the Compliance Committee;
(e)Cooperation with other organizations.
2.The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol may consider, inter alia, the following items:
2.1At its sixth meeting:
(a)Monitoring and reporting (Article 33; decision BS-I/9, paragraph 5)
To consider the second national reports with a view to evaluate the implementation of obligations under the Protocol by Parties.
(b)Assessment and review (Article 35; operational objective (OP) 3.2)
To consider the report of the second evaluation and review of the effectiveness of the Protocol, including an assessment of its procedures and annexes.
(c)Capacity-building/Roster of Experts (decision BS-III/3, paragraph 6, 13, 15 and 17;, decision BS-IV/4, paragraph 10; decision BS-V/3, paragraph 19; and focal area 2)
To conduct the comprehensive review of the updated Action Plan taking into account, inter alia, the independent expert evaluation of the effectiveness and outcomes of the capacity-building initiatives;
To evaluate the performance of the roster of biosafety experts and the coordination mechanism.
(d)Handling, transport, packaging and identification (Article 18.2(b) and (c); decision BS-III/10, paragraph 7; decision BS-IV/8, paragraph 2; and OP 1.6 and 2.3)
To review and assess the implementation of the requirements of the Protocol on identification and documentation of living modified organisms.
(e)Handling, transport, packaging and identification (Article 18.3; decision BS-V/9, paragraph 1(d))
To consider analysis of information on existing standards, methods and guidance relevant to the handling, transport, packaging and identification of living modified organisms.
(f)Socio-economic considerations (decision BS-IV/16, paragraph 5; decision BS-V/3, paragraphs 21-31; and OP 1.7)
To consider socio-economic considerations that may be taken into account in reaching decisions on import of living modified organisms, and related capacity building needs.
(g)Notification requirements (Article 8; decision BS-IV/18, paragraph 2)
To review the national implementation of the notification requirements of living modified organisms.
(h)Risk assessment and risk management (decision BS-V/12, section IV and Annex; OP 1.3)
To review the training and development and support the implementation of science-based tools on common approaches to risk assessment and risk management for Parties with particular reference to risk management strategies;
To consider the synthesis of submissions of information on risk assessments, carried out on a case-by-case basis with regards to the receiving environment of the living modified organism, that might assist Parties in the identification of living modified organisms that are not likely to have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health, and criteria for the identification of such living modified organisms;
To consider reports and recommendations from the open-ended online forum and the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Risk Assessment and Risk Management.
(i)Liability and redress (OP 1.5)
To consider the status of signature, ratification or accession to the Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Biosafety Protocol.
(j)Unintentional transboundary movements and emergency measures (Article 17; OP 1.8)
To consider the development of tools and guidance that facilitate appropriate responses to unintentional transboundary movements and initiate necessary actions, including emergency measures.
2.2At its seventh meeting:
(a)Risk assessment and risk management (OP 1.3 and OP 2.2) and identification of LMOs or traits that may have adverse effects (Article 16 (5) and OP 1.4)
To consider the modalities for cooperation and guidance in identifying LMOs or specific traits that may have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health.
(b)Handling, transport, packaging and identification (Article 18.2(a); decision BS-V/8; OP 1.6 and 2.3,)
To consider submissions of further information on experience gained with the implementation of paragraph 4 of decision BS-III/10 as well as decision BS-V/8, including any information on obstacles that are encountered in the implementation of these decisions as well as specific capacity-building needs to implement these decisions;
To review capacity-building efforts to facilitate the implementation of requirements for handling, transport, packaging and identification of living modified organisms.
(c)Contained use of living modified organisms (Article 6(2); OP 1.8)
To consider the development of tools and guidance that facilitates the implementation of the Protocol’s provisions on contained use of LMOs.
(d)Capacity-building (OP 2.1, 2.2 & 2.5)

To review the general capacity building aspects of national biosafety frameworks including the decision-making procedures and mechanism and their public awareness and participation aspects.

(e)Information sharing and the BCH (OP 4.1 & 4.2)
To review the overall operation of the BCH including access to and retrieval of information by users.
(f)Liability and redress (OP 1.5 & 2.4)
To consider the status of implementation of the Supplementary Protocol.
(g)Monitoring and reporting (Article 33, decision BS-V/14, paragraph 8)
To consider the format for the third national reports.
2.3At its eighth meeting:
(a)Rights and obligations of transit States (Article 6(1); decision BS-V/10; OP 1.8)
To review the status of implementation of the provisions of the Protocol or any decision by Parties related to the transit of living modified organisms.
(b)Assessment and review (Article 35; decision BS-V/15; OP 3.2)
To assess the effectiveness of the Protocol, including through regular assessment and review processes in conjunction with the mid-term review of the Strategic Plan.
(c)Monitoring and reporting (Article 33; decision BS-I/9, paragraph 5; decision BS-V/14; OP 3.1 and 3.2)
To review the monitoring and reporting process as a major element of the assessment and review process;
To consider the third national reports with a view to evaluate the implementation of the obligations under the Protocol by Parties.
(d)Liability and redress (OP 2.4)
To review the need for any guidance or assistance to Parties in their efforts to establish and apply the Supplementary Protocol and/or and national rules and procedures on liability and redress related to living modified organisms.
(f)Public awareness, education and participation (OP. 2.5; decision BS-V/13, paragraph 4)
To review the programme of work in light of experiences gained.

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