Summary of the outcomes of COP-MOP 1

The gist of the decisions adopted by COP-MOP/1 can be summarized as follows:

• Decision procedure (Article 10, para.7)
• Information-sharing and the Biosafety Clearing-House (Article 20, para.4)
• Capacity-building (Article 22; Article 28, para.3)
• Handling, transport, packaging and identification (Article 18)
• Compliance (Article 34)
• Liability and redress (Article 27)
• Monitoring and reporting (Article 33)
• Secretariat (Article 31, para.3)
• Guidance to the financial mechanism (Article 28, para. 5, Article 22)
• Consideration of other issues necessary for the effective implementation of the Protocol (e.g., Article 29, para.4)
• Medium-term programme of work
• Date and venue for the second meeting of the COP-MOP

Handling, transport, packaging and identification (Article 18):

Outlined identification requirements for transboundary shipments of living modified organisms for contained use or for intentional introduction into the environment;

Decided to establish an Open-ended Technical Expert Group on Identification Requirements of Living Modified Organisms Intended for Direct Use as Food or Feed, or for Processing and adopted terms of reference for its work;

Invited Parties and other Governments to take measures to apply the OECD Unique Identifiers for Transgenic Plants, without prejudice to the possible development of other systems;

Decided to convene a workshop on capacity-building and exchange of experience on the safe handling, transport, packaging and identification of living modified organisms prior to the meeting of the above-mentioned Open-ended Technical Expert Group on Identification Requirements of Living Modified Organisms Intended for Direct Use as Food or Feed, or for Processing.