BS-VI/16.Unintentional transboundary movements of living modified organisms (Article 17)

1.Encourages Parties to use, as guidance, or apply, as appropriate, the following in their efforts to implement the measures specified in Article 17 of the Protocol and, in particular, to determine and take appropriate response measures, including emergency measures, in the event of an occurrence that leads or may lead to unintentional transboundary movement of a living modified organism that is likely to cause significant adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health: (a)Decisions that have been or may be taken in the context of identifying living modified organisms under Article 18 of the Protocol, in particular those relating to the detection of living modified organisms; (b)The Guidance on Risk Assessment of Living Modified Organisms developed by the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Risk Assessment and Risk Management with input from the Open-Ended Online Expert Forum;

2.Urges Parties and invites other Governments and relevant organizations which have not yet done so to: (a)Make available to the Biosafety Clearing-House the relevant details of their point of contact for the purposes of receiving notifications under Article 17 of the Protocol; (b)Establish and maintain appropriate measures to prevent unintentional transboundary movements of living modified organisms; and (c)Establish a mechanism for emergency measures in case of unintentional transboundary movements of living modified organisms that are likely to have significant adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health;

3.Invites Parties and other Governments to cooperate in building the capacity, transferring the technology and exchanging information necessary to detect and respond to occurrences resulting in a release that could lead to unintentional transboundary movement of a living modified organism that is likely to have significant adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health;

4.Requests Parties and invites other Governments and relevant organizations to provide views and information to the Executive Secretary, six months prior to the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol, on any challenges and experiences relating to the implementation of Article 17 of the Protocol and on the scope and elements of possible guidance or tools that may facilitate appropriate responses by Parties to unintentional transboundary movements of living modified organisms;

5.Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare a synthesis of the views referred to in paragraph 4 above for consideration by the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol.