The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,
1.Encourages Parties, when submitting to the Biosafety Clearing-House information required under the Protocol, to upload the actual documents that contain the information or, in cases where they provide a link to a website to access a document, ensure that the link is functional and up-to-date and the information is easily accessible;
2.Also encourages Parties to ensure that the information they make available to the Biosafety Clearing-House is up to date and consistent with their national reports;
3.Invites Parties, other Governments and relevant international and regional organizations to undertake or support capacity-building initiatives aimed at assisting developing country Parties, in particular the least developed and small island developing States among them, and Parties with economies in transition, in the use of the Biosafety Clearing-House and in putting in place facilities that will enable them to submit consistent, up-to-date and complete information through the Biosafety Clearing-House and their national reports and allow developing country Parties access to appropriate technologies for active participation in online activities;
4.Encourages Parties that are facing difficulties complying with one or more of their obligations under the Protocol to seek assistance from the Compliance Committee or the Secretariat in such areas as making information available to the Biosafety Clearing-House and the development or updating of national biosafety frameworks;
5.Encourages Parties to implement requirements under Article 23 of the Protocol within a mechanism appropriate to their national circumstances, which could include the integration of public awareness, education and participation in national biodiversity strategies and action plans, broader national frameworks for communication, education and public awareness (CEPA), or efforts to implement Aichi Biodiversity Target 1, taking into account relevant elements of the programme of work on public awareness, education and participation adopted in
decision BS-V/13;
6.Encourages Parties to make effective use of the various tools, materials and mechanisms made available by the Secretariat and other sources, including the online forum and the online regional networks established through the Biosafety Clearing-House, to share information, experiences and lessons learned in the implementation of obligations under Article 23 of the Protocol.
