Notification 2011-168

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to inform you that the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is organizing a regional training of trainers’ workshop on the identification and documentation of living modified organisms for the Asia sub-region. The workshop will be held in New Delhi, India, from 21 to 25 November 2011. The main objective of the workshop is to introduce participants to the requirements of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety regarding the identification and documentation of living modified organisms and to techniques and methodologies that may be used to ensure the implementation of these requirements. The primary target group is frontline customs officers, border control officials, sanitary and phytosanitary inspectors and other enforcement authorities, including, as appropriate, policy makers and regulators. Accordingly, I have the pleasure to invite you to nominate one representative from your country to take part in the workshop. The nominated participants are expected to: • Have front line experience at customs control points, including experience related to overseeing imports of plants and animals as well as bulk shipments of agricultural commodities, such as grains and seeds. He/she should be involved in the custom processes that handle cargo shipments as part of his/her daily duties; OR • Have experience with or responsibility for formulating or enforcing regulations or standards for the identification and detection of regulated goods and substances in general and living modified organisms in particular. The participants are expected, after the workshop, to remain in their current positions so as to make use of their acquired knowledge and skills. They will also be expected to train and share the knowledge and experience gained with their colleagues at home. Individuals who have attended previous workshops organized by the Green Customs Initiative would be well-placed to attend. Subject to the availability of funds, the participation of your nominated representative in the workshop will be covered by the Secretariat. This will include an economy ticket to the workshop and daily subsistence allowance (DSA) for the duration of the workshop. The nomination, submitted through an official letter addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat, is to include the curriculum vitae (CV) of the nominee. The letter and the CV are to be sent by fax to +1 514 288 6588, or by email as a scanned attachment to: secretariat@cbd.int. All nominations are to be received by the Secretariat as soon as possible but no later than 14 October 2011, in order to enable the Secretariat to finalize arrangements for the workshop in a timely manner. The working language of the workshop will be English. Further details on the workshop will be made available on the Secretariat’s website (www.cbd.int) in due course. I would like to thank you for your kind cooperation and continued support of the work of the Protocol. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety National Focal Points for Asian Countries