The Kingdom of Bahrain has introduced domestic legislation (Decree No. 5 of 2003) to adopt and implement regional legislation (the Agricultural Quarantine Act of the Gulf Cooperation Council for Arab States) that contribute towards biosafety. Further domestic legislations, including Ministerial Decision No. 1 of 2004 regarding the import of agricultural shipments and Ministerial Decision No. 2 of 2004 regarding the export and re-exportation of agricultural shipments were issued to contribute towards addressing issues that may arise during the import or export of products thereby indirectly supporting the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol. In addition, Bahrain declared Decision No. 48 of 2009 regarding the ratification of the International Plant Protection Convention under the Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. Further to this, Decree No. 34 of 2012 was issued regarding the ratification of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) law on the regulation related to the handling of genetically modified seeds, tuber and seedlings. In Bahrain, import permits for vegetable seeds intended for cultivation purposes include an additional required declaration which state that GMO seeds are not permitted in the Kingdom of Bahrain. In addition, as part of the application to obtain an import permit for seeds, the importer is requested to submit a statement from the country of origin confirming that seeds are not genetically modified. Based on article no. 14 of the GCC law on seeds, tubers and seedlings (Decree No. 34 of 2012), GMO propagation materials cannot be traded or handled without a special license from the competent authority (i.e. Directorate of Agricultural Affairs). The procedures of granting such license shall be detailed in the executive regulation of the upcoming law (currently under preparation and available as a working document). Currently, all permits to import vegetable seeds for the purpose of cultivation are issued via an electronic import permitting portal allowing the screening of all applications which must state the country of origin and be accompanied by a declaration certifying that the seeds are not genetically modified. Further domestic provisions which indirectly address the handling and intentional release of LMOs into the environment is made through Decree No. 9 of 2016 related to the Specifications and Standards which enables the implementation of Article 5 addressing the labelling of products. In 2016, Bahrain had developed its National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan (NBSAP) in addition to a National Biosafety Action Plan which includes guidelines for both administrative and regulatory frameworks on the CPB implementation. In 2021, Bahrain further issued Decree No. 31 of 2021 regarding the protection of new plant species (Article 12 of Decree No. 31 of 2021, defines the qualification criteria for species under this law). It is important to note that in parallel to the development of this report, the kingdom of Bahrain has prepared new guidelines on the implementation of the CPB on a national level based on the current national biosafety assessment (2021) which involved consultation meetings and national surveys thereby providing a clearer and more aligned path towards implementing the protocol. The Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Trade has established national standards and guidelines under Decree No. 9 of 2016 for the production, processing, labelling and marketing of organically produced foods (BH GSO 2374:2015). The standards and specifications can be found via the following link:https://bsmd.moic.gov.bh/store. National decisions requiring all producers to label packaged food products for human consumption with the required information, have been issued in alignment with regional standards (Gulf Technical Regulation) that regulate (1) living and raw bivalve mollusks (GSO CODEX STAN 292:2021); (2) refrigerated and frozen sea lobster (CSO 1388:2021); (3) animal/ livestock feed (GSO 1923:2009) and; (4) food products (GSO 9:2013). In 2009, the regional Gulf Standard (GSO ISO 21570:2009) adopted provides the methods of analysis for the detection of genetically modified organisms and derived products in foodstuff.

In terms of alternative/ traditional medical products that may use plants as an ingredient as part of any drug discovery research or by local traditional healers, national legislations are put in place to regulate LMOs classified as agricultural products. This includes Decree No. 34 of 2012 related to the ratification of the Gulf Cooperation Council Law on the regulation of the handling of GM seeds, tuber and seedlings, Ministerial Decision No. 1 of 2004 referring to the import of agricultural shipments and Ministerial Decision No. 2 of 2004 referring to the export and re-exportation of agricultural shipments. In addition, all products including pharmaceutical products must be labeled in accordance with national Decree No. 9 of 2016 related to Specifications and Standards which enables the implementation of this Article through the requirements of labelling of all sort of products.

Based on stakeholder's meetings, it has been reported that less than 50 approvals were granted for the import of LMOs for solely research purposes in laboratory (contained use). The LMOs applications were for the import of cell lines, bacteria and yeast strains in addition to others with intended use in various research projects.

To date, the Kingdom of Bahrain has not in its national records any notification about intentional transboundary movements of LMOs for intentional introduction into the environment. There is no mechanism set in place dedicated to the implementation of Articles 7 to 10. However, the following domestic regulatory measures shall be referred to: (1) Decree No. 5 of 2003 regarding approving the Agricultural Quarantine Act of the Gulf Cooperation Council for Arab States (2) Decree No. 34 of 2012 adopting the Gulf Cooperation Council Law on the regulation of the handling of genetically modified seeds, tuber and seedlings (3) Decree No. 9 of 2016 regarding Specifications and Standards | Article 5 | includes the labelling of products and declaration of all ingredients.

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Although Bahrain is yet to establish a dedicated national biosafety regulatory framework, simplified procedures can be indirectly observed in /referred to existing regulatory measures falling under the jurisdiction of various government entities. (1) Decree No. 5 of 2003 regarding approving the Agricultural Quarantine Act of the Gulf Cooperation Council for Arab States. (2) Decree No. 34 of 2012 adopting the Gulf Cooperation Council Law on the regulation of the handling of genetically modified seeds, tuber and seedlings.

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Between the period of November and December 2021, the Kingdom of Bahrain undertook a scoping exercise based on stakeholders consultation to assess the level of national capacity for the implementation of Articles 15 and 16. The results revealed that Bahrain has limited capacity in GMO detection, risk assessment and monitoring, and risk management. To date, only one private institution – Al Jawhara Center, Arabian Gulf University — is able to detect GMOs. All stakeholders have indicated that there is a need for strengthening technical capacities on protocols for detection, identification, assessment and monitoring as well as risk assessment and management.

None currently available

Currently, the Arabian Gulf University and its affiliating organization i.e. Al Jawhara Center have the potential to be an accredited laboratory for developing protocols on GMOs and LMOs detection in addition to their identification. Furthermore, the laboratory under the Directorate of Public Health at the Ministry of Health regulates and conducts the inspection on food and pharmaceutical products (IFAD). However, whether they also test for products the contain LMOs e.g. corn syrup needs to be confirmed.

To date, the designated national focal point for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is Ms. Nouf Al Wasmi, Acting Director of the Directorate of Biodiversity at the Supreme Council for Environment. The Council is the only designated national competent authority of the CPB. On another note, the Kingdom of Bahrain is yet to establish a coordination mechanism that shall observe and address the important and transfer of LMOs. Nevertheless, efforts are being made to establish a communication platform to facilitate the work being conducted by the relevant governmental entities regarding biosafety. This shall be outlined and further developed as part of Bahrain’s national biosafety action plan for 2022.

In Section 112, the following two articles were answered as information only partially available in the BCH as these are outlined in the Third National Report to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which reflect based on Article 20 paragraph 3 (e) and Article 33, that the reports submitted to the Protocol are made available via the BCH. Therefore, partial information is available as per the information provided in the Third National Report of the Kingdom of Bahrain. • Existing legislation, regulations and guidelines for implementing the Protocol, as well as information required by Parties for the advance informed agreement procedure (Article 20, paragraph 3 (a)) • Contact details for competent national authorities (Article 19, paragraphs 2 and 3), national focal points (Article 19, paragraphs 1 and 3), and emergency contacts (Article 17, paragraph 3 (e))

Bahrain is currently working on establishing an updated action plan based on the current assessment (covering the period 2016-2021) thereby determining the status of biosafety and the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol at national level. The action plan will take into consideration the current available regulatory measures, decisions made, national capacity and needs thereby enabling the implementation of Article 20. In addition, the country is working on producing a National Bulletins that would act as outreach material that will be made public to raise awareness on the Cartagena Protocol and the current status of biosafety at national level. The country is planning the organization of 2 webinars with a pre- and post- assessment on the CPB and its implementation and the BCH.

Information shall be treated as confidential on a case-by-case basis. Confidentiality shall be considered when it does not put at risk human health and the environment

Funds Although Bahrain has never applied for funds for biosafety capacity building, it has applied for funds from GEF for the development of the fourth national report of the kingdom of Bahrain to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which has enabled the national team to: • Conduct consultation meetings and follow up calls with relevant stakeholders regarding the assessment of the implementation of the CPB and biosafety at a national level; • Conduct a survey to assess the level of awareness of the protocol and its implementation followed up by calls with the participants to discuss their answers; • Hold a national workshop (expected February 2022) to introduce the CPB, BCH and national biosafety action plan. • Determine the current status of biosafety in the Kingdom of Bahrain • Develop a national biosafety action plan • Conduct a series of webinars to raise public awareness on the Cartagena Protocol Education The Arabian Gulf University (AGU) and University of Bahrain (UOB) offer courses on biotehcnology and GMOs. AGU offers six post graduate degrees related to biotechnology. MSc | Health Biotechnology PhD | Health Biotechnology PhD | Environmental Biotechnology PhD | Molecular Medicine MSc | Regenerative Medicine PhD | Environmental Sciences & Natural Resources The university hosts a cohort of 21 students enrolled in the above mentioned MSc. and PhD biotechnology related programmes. Courses offered include current concepts and techniques in biotechnology, techniques in molecular biology, molecular diagnostics, plant genetic engineering and genetically modified plants, agricultural ecology, advanced topics in Environmental biotehcnology, environmental genomics and extremophilic microorganisms.

Bahrain is currently working on establishing a national coordination mechanism that enables all relevant governmental entities to facilitate/enable decision-making process and smooth operations of implementation of the Protocol. Once the mechanism is in put place, public participation shall be incorporated.

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No activities related to the implementation of the Nagoya Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress have been undertaken as Bahrain is not a Party to the Protocol. In the Decree No. 9 of 2016 related to the Specifications and Standards, articles 18 and 19 address liability and redress to specific cases related to the labelling of products.

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