Notification 2011-165

Dear Madam/Sir, I have the honour to inform you that, at the invitation of the Government of India, the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP/6) will be held in Hyderabad, India, from 1 5 October 2012. The pre session documentation of the meeting will be made available as soon as possible and, in any case, no later than three months in advance of the meeting. The pre session documents and information for participants will also be accessible at the Convention website: http://www.cbd.int. In accordance with rule 18 of the rules of procedure for meetings of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, I would be grateful if your Government could submit to the Secretariat, as soon as possible and no later than Friday, 21 September 2012, the credentials of your representative(s) and the names of the alternate representative(s) and advisor(s), for the COP-MOP/6. You will find attached herewith, for your convenience, a sample format of appropriate credentials for the meeting, which should be signed by the Head of State or Government or by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, except in the case of regional economic integration organization, in which case it should be signed by the competent authority of that organization. Accreditation of representatives of Parties to this meeting will not be possible without proper credentials. Subject to the availability of contributions to the Special Voluntary Fund for Facilitating Participation of Parties in the Biosafety Protocol process established by decision BS I/10, and in accordance with the interim policy adopted by the Bureau in this regard, the Secretariat expects to be in a position to finance the participation of one representative to COP MOP/6 from each developing country Party to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States amongst them, as well as Parties with economies in transition. Countries Party to the Protocol wishing to solicit such assistance are kindly requested to inform the Secretariat of the name and contact information of the designated representative eligible to receive financial support as soon as possible but no later than 30 April 2012. Please note that the Secretariat will be unable to respond positively to requests for financial support after this deadline. In view of the increased security procedures for travelers and budget constraints, and, in order to allow the maximum number of countries to participate in the meeting, the Secretariat will be using special airfare tickets for sponsored delegates. This imposes restrictions with respect to changes of passenger name, travel date and itinerary. In this regard, it will not be possible for the Secretariat to accommodate name changes after 1 July 2012. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: National Focal Points to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, CBD National Focal Points where Biosafety Focal Points have not yet been nominated