Notification 2015-100

Dear Madam/Sir, In its decision BS-VII/10, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP) requested the Executive Secretary to organize, in cooperation with relevant organizations and subject to the availability of funds, capacity-building activities such as online and face-to-face training workshops on sampling, detection and identification of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) to assist Parties in fulfilling the requirements under Article 17 and towards achieving the relevant outcomes of the Strategic Plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Furthermore, in its decision XII/17, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity requested the Executive Secretary to facilitate capacity-building on identification of invasive and potentially invasive species (IAS), including on rapid approaches, in support of the Capacity-building Strategy for the Global Taxonomy Initiative with the view to support the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the relevant Aichi Biodiversity Targets. In response to these requests, and with support from the Government of Japan through the Japan Biodiversity Fund, the Secretariat is organizing a workshop for the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific with the objectives of: (i) Assisting customs and border-control officials in the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol’s provisions with regard to sampling, detecting and identifying living modified organisms. (ii) Sharing experiences and assessing national needs and gaps for the effective implementation of the relevant outcomes under the Strategic Plan for the Cartagena Protocol; (iii) Developing strategies for risk identification, control and communication to identify and prevent the entry and establishment of invasive alien species; (iv) Sharing experiences and assessing national needs and gaps for the prevention and control/eradication of IAS and towards the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Target 9. A workshop to support the achievement of Aichi Biodiversity Target 9, which aims at developing project proposals to enhance capacity in SIDS for the prevention and control/eradication of IAS, will be held in parallel to this workshop. Joint sessions will be held to facilitate the exchange of views amongst participants of the two workshops. Accordingly, I am pleased to invite your Government to nominate an expert to take part in the workshop. The nominee should be a customs and border control official who is responsible for quarantine and border control of IAS at points of entry and/or is involved in sampling, detection and border control of LMOs. Each official nomination letter should be accompanied with the attached nomination form indicating the activities in which the nominee has been involved that are relevant to border control of IAS and/or LMO detection and identification as well as the anticipated benefits of the workshop. Participants will be selected on the basis of their relevant expertise as well as geographical representation and gender balance. Incomplete forms will not be considered. Due to the limited availability of funds for the workshop, only selected participants nominated by eligible Parties will receive financial assistance to cover the cost of travel and a daily subsistence allowance. Relevant organizations are also welcome to nominate participants with practical experience in the subject matter of the workshop, by filling in the attached nomination form. Funding is not available to support participants representing organizations. Nominations are to be sent to the Executive Secretary via e-mail at secretariat@cbd.int or by fax at +1-514-288-6588. In order to enable us to finalize arrangements for the workshop in a timely manner, it would be appreciated if nominations reach the Secretariat as soon as possible but no later than 30 September 2015. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support towards the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points and Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety National Focal Points of: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, relevant organizations