Notification 2023-089

Dear Madam/Sir, I am delighted to inform you that the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is organizing a webinar to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, on 11 September 2023 at 7:00 a.m. EDT. The webinar entitled, “20 Years of Promoting the Safe Use of Biotechnology” aims to enhance collaboration and achieve more concrete actions for the biosafety-related targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Implementation Plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Capacity-building Action Plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, to ensure the safe use of biotechnology for sustainable development. The webinar will highlight major achievements from experts to build capacity, inform and engage stakeholders to collaborate over the next years. The webinar will be held on the Zoom platform. Interested participants are invited to register for the webinar through this https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OFPr27mxRAaexD7Px5PheA#/registration. The deadline for registration is 10 September 2023. Further details about the webinar are available at: https://bch.cbd.int/protocol/20thanniversary2023.shtml. In addition to the webinar, Parties, other Governments and stakeholders are also invited to submit articles on their experiences in implementing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety over the last 20 years. The articles, which will form part of an information campaign to increase the visibility of the Protocol, should be maximum 500 words in length and should be sent to secretariat@cbd.int by 6 September 2023. For additional information, please contact the Secretariat’s Associate Public Information Officer, Ms. Ulrika Nilsson, at ulrika.nilsson@un.org. I would like to invite the global biosafety community to join the celebration and I look forward to your participation in these activities.

Acting Executive Secretary

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