. Entry into force of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Entry into force of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,

Noting that, in paragraph 3 of its decision VI/1, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, inter alia, requested the Executive Secretary in the event that the Protocol enters into force within one year of the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, to convene the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol in conjunction with an extraordinary meeting of the Conference of the Parties, no later than eight months after the entry into force of the Protocol,

Expressing its appreciation to the Conference of the Parties for approving, in the core budget of the Convention for the biennium 2003-2004, funding for the convening of the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol in conjunction with an extraordinary meeting of the Conference of the Parties,

Expressing its appreciation also for the approval by the Conference of the Parties of a contingency of US$ 250,000 to meet the costs of the conference services if a second meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety takes place in 2004, back-to-back with the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, and in the event that the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol does not decide on budgetary arrangements to this end,

Recalling that, in The Hague Ministerial Declaration of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, developed within the context of the preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg from 26 August to 4 September 2002, the ministers responsible for the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in The Hague on 16-17 April 2002 referred to the need to urge all States to ratify and fully implement the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity,

Encouraged by the positive signal sent by a significant number of Parties during the current meeting regarding their processes for ratifying the Protocol and conscious of the desirability, as expressed by many participants during the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties and its ministerial segment, of obtaining, before the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the number of ratifications of the Cartagena Protocol required for its entry into force,

1. Calls upon all Parties to the Convention that have not yet done so to ratify, accept, approve or accede to the Cartagena Protocol at the earliest possible opportunity to enable it to enter into force in time for the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol to be held in 2003 in conjunction with an extraordinary meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

2. Also calls upon Parties to the Convention to provide financial resources for inter-sessional activities recommended by the Intergovernmental Committee to advance further the preparations for the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol.