Notification 2023-084

Dear Madam/Sir, In its decision CP-10/10, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety requested the Executive Secretary to explore ways to facilitate and support capacity-building and knowledge-sharing and technology transfer regarding risk assessment and risk management of living modified organisms. In response to this request, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is organizing a workshop under the theme “Advances in risk assessment – Twenty years of theory and practice”, to be convened in Montreal, Canada on 30-31 October 2023. A meeting of the ad hoc technical expert group (AHTEG) on risk assessment will be held immediately following the workshop, on 1-3 November 2023. The workshop aims to highlight advances in risk assessment and risk management and bring together international experts and stakeholders to discuss and advance the understanding and application of risk assessment methodologies for living modified organisms. The workshop will be held in the context of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and will serve as a platform for knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and collaboration to improve biosafety regulations and decision-making processes worldwide. The workshop will draw from the lessons and experiences of the regional training courses on risk assessment held under the auspices of the Korea Biosafety Capacity-Building Initiative. In addition, the workshop will consider important topics such as implications for risk assessment and risk management of new breeding techniques, and the role of modelling in risk assessment and risk management. The workshop will also consider Target 17 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework with a view to advancing discussion on complementary risk assessment indicators for the monitoring framework. The global risk assessment workshop will be held as a hybrid event, with both in-person and virtual participation options to maximize global accessibility. It will consist of keynote presentations, panel discussions, and networking opportunities. Accordingly, I am pleased to invite Parties from all regions, other Governments and relevant organizations, to nominate one representative to take part in the workshop. The nominee must have practical experience with, or is expected to be involved in, conducting risk assessment of living modified organisms. Participants will be selected on the basis of their relevant expertise, taking into account geographical representation and gender balance. Please note that due to space restrictions, nominations by Parties will have priority. The workshop will be conducted in English. The official nomination letter must be accompanied by a duly completed nomination form (annex I). Only complete nominations submitted through the Cartagena Protocol focal point, or Heads of organizations, as appropriate, will be considered. Support for a limited number of participants from eligible Parties will be provided by the Secretariat through the Korea Biosafety Capacity-Building Initiative, supported by the Government of the Republic of Korea. Nominations of participants from eligible Parties should include a completed HR Mini Master Registration Form (Annex II – Parts A and B) and a copy of the bio page of the valid national passport. This will enable the Secretariat to process travel of selected participants in a timely manner. All members of the AHTEG on risk assessment are also invited to take part in the workshop. In order to enable the Secretariat to finalize arrangements for the workshop in a timely manner, nominations should be submitted as soon as possible but no later than 25 August 2023. Nominations received after this deadline will not be considered. Nominations should be sent to the Secretariat via e-mail to secretariat@cbd.int or by fax at +1 514 288-6588. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support to the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Acting Executive Secretary

To: Cartagena Protocol national focal points, CBD national focal points (where CPB focal points have not yet been designated), relevant organizations, and indigenous peoples and local communities, cc: BCH national focal points