Status of Ratification and Entry Into Force

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on 29 January 2000. In accordance with its Article 36, the Protocol was opened for signature at the United Nations Office at Nairobi by States and regional economic integration organizations from 15 to 26 May 2000, and remained open for signature at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 5 June 2000 to 4 June 2001. By that date the Protocol had received 103 signatures. The Protocol entered into force on 11 September 2003, ninety days after receipt of the 50th instrument of ratification (Article 37).

To date, 159 instruments of ratification or accession have been deposited with the UN Secretary-General from the following Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity:

Africa (AFR): Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe (47 Countries)

Asia and Pacific (AP): Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Niue, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Viet Nam, Yemen (41 Countries)

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine (22 Countries)

Latin America and Caribbean (GRULAC): Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela (28 Countries)

Western Europe and Other Groups (WEOG): Austria, Belgium, Denmark, European Community, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (21 Countries)

The list below contains the latest information concerning dates of signature, ratification, and entry into force received from the Depositary of the Protocol - the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The column entitled 'Ratification' indicates the dates when the instrument of ratification (rtf), acceptance (acs), approval (apv) or accession (acs) is deposited with the Depositary. The column entitled 'Entry into force' indicates the dates when the Protocol enters into force for respective State or regional economic integration organization, i.e. ninety days after it deposits instrument of ratification, approval, acceptance or accession.

This page is updated in the week after the Secretariat is advised by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, acting in his capacity as depositary, of a new ratification of the Protocol

Notes:

1. With a territorial exclusion in respect of the Faroe Islands and Greenland
2. Please note that, for the purposes of entry into force of the Protocol, any instrument deposited by a regional economic integration organization shall not be counted as additional to those deposited by member States of such organization (paragraph 3, Article 37 of the Protocol)
   
   The instrument of ratification by the European Community was accompanied by the following declaration:
   
   The European Community declares that, in accordance with the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 175(l) thereof, it is competent for entering into international agreements, and for implementing the obligations resulting therefrom, which contribute to the pursuit of the following objectives:
   • preserving, protecting and improving the quality of the environment;
   • protecting human health;
   • prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources;
   • promoting measures at international level to deal with regional or worldwide environmental problems.
   Moreover, the European Community declares that it has already adopted legal instruments, binding on its Member States, covering matters governed by this Protocol, and will submit and update, as appropriate, a list of those legal instruments to the Biosafety Clearing House in accordance with Article 20(3)(a) of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
   The European Community is responsible for the performance of those obligations resulting from the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which are covered by Community law in force.
   The exercise of Community competence is, by its nature, subject to continuous development.