Notification 2018-082

Dear Madam/Sir, This is to inform you that the term of five members of the Compliance Committee under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety as well as ten members and two observers from indigenous peoples and local communities of the Compliance Committee under the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing will end on 31 December 2018 as follows: It is, therefore, my pleasure to invite regional groups to consult among themselves and to come to the Cartagena Protocol COP-MOP 9 and the Nagoya Protocol COP-MOP 3 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, prepared to make nominations of suitable candidates for election to serve on the respective Compliance Committees for the next four years. Indigenous peoples and local communities are also invited to make nominations of suitable candidates for election to serve as observers to the Compliance Committee under the Nagoya Protocol. I kindly remind you that members and observers serve in the Compliance Committees in their personal capacity. In accordance with the respective procedures and mechanisms on compliance, nominees should have recognized competence as follows: a. Members of the Compliance Committee under the Cartagena Protocol “shall have recognized competence in the field of biosafety or other relevant fields, including legal or technical expertise”; b. Members of the Compliance Committee under the Nagoya Protocol as well as the representatives of indigenous peoples and local communities “shall have recognized competence, including technical, legal or scientific expertise in the fields covered by the Protocol, such as genetic resources and traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources”. The names and curriculum vitae of nominees should be submitted to the Secretariat as soon as possible following the opening of the meetings. The lists of existing members of the Compliance Committees are available at: https://www.cbd.int/doc/lists/bs-compliance.pdf and https://www.cbd.int/doc/lists/np-compliance.pdf. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support towards the work of the Protocols to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: National Focal Points to the Cartagena and the Nagoya Protocols CBD National Focal Points (where CPB and ABS NFPs have not yet been designated)