BCH Knowledge Base

In some instances, National Focal Points for the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH-NFPs) may wish to delegate some or all  the responsibilities for submitting information in the BCH to National Authorized Users (NAUs) .

NAUs can create and manage draft records in designated categories of national information (depending on their assigned role). However, all new records created by NAUs, as well as any modifications that they make to existing records, are subject to validation prior to publication either by the BCH-NFP, in the case of National Records, or by the Secretariat, in the case of Reference Records.

The User Management page, accessible through the Submit page, allows BCH-NFPs to add, edit or delete roles of NAUs for all records or for specific types of records.

To add or update an NAU:

1. Sign in to the Submit page.
2. Click on the User Management tab.
3. To add a new NAU: click on the Add Authorized User button and then follow the online instructions.
4. To edit an NAU role: click on the ‘list’ icon. Then follow the online instructions. TIP: Use the free text box on the right top corner to find an NAU by typing a word of your choice, or the e-mail of the person you are searching for.
5. To delete an NAU: click on the ‘trash bin’ icon.

Note that once a role is added or modified, an automatic e-mail message is sent to the NAU with the notification of the new role(s) and a link to updating the profile or resetting the password.

National Reports can be found:

• On the Search page.

                   --OR--

• On the National Report Analyzer page. On the top navigation bar, click on Search and then on “National Report Analyzer”. The National Report Analyzer tool allows users to perform various analyses of the information contained in the reports. You can open the report from the National Report Analyzer. To do so:
  1. In “National Report” drop down list, select the report of interest.
  2. In “Geographical areas” drop down list, select “Select countries”.
  3. Click on the country(ies) of interest, and then click on the Close button.
  4. Click on the Analyze button. An analysis report will appear.
  5. In the column to the right, click on the country name and then on the country code (for example: click on Belarus and then on BY). The report will open.

The Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) provides various help tools to assist with website navigation and performing various tasks. 

The main help materials available are:

• Tours: virtual self-explanatory tours are available on the Country Profile, Submit and Search pages. These tours walk users through each page, identifying key functions and capacities of the respective section.

• Contextual help: is accessible by clicking on the question mark symbol located on the top right corner of the website. Contextual help contains information related to your current page. You can also use the free text Search box to search through all help articles available in the BCH.

• The Knowledge Base is accessible through the “Help” tab on the top navigation bar. Here you will find various categories of helpful information about the BCH.

• The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section is also accessible through the “Help” tab on the top navigation bar. 

• The Chat (question mark) icon, located at the bottom right corner, can be used to chat with us directly online. 

• Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) platform: this site is maintained by the UNEP-GEF BCH III Project Team and contains various help and training materials. These include presentations, links to regional training workshops on the BCH, webinars, videos and other learning tools. The address of the VLE site is https://bch3-vle.unep.org/.

General Icons

Icon	Location	Meaning
	This “Alerts” icon is located at the top right corner of the page.	The bell icon is a notification system that alerts users of all unread messages associated with their BCH account. The number in the red circle indicates the number of ‘unread’ notifications received. Click on this icon to see all the messages and click on a particular message to see its details.
	The ‘language’ drop-down list is located at the top right corner of the page.	Click on this icon to select one of the 6 UN languages. This will change the language of the BCH.
	This icon is located at the top right corner of the page.	Click on this icon to access contextual help articles associated with the specific page of the BCH you are currently navigating. Click on the title of the article to view the full text. You can also search for all help articles in the BCH.
	The “Information” icon appears on the Dashboard of the Submit page, as well as on the Search page.	Hover over this icon to reveal descriptive information about the respective item on the screen.
	The ‘down arrow’ icon appears in several places on the Dashboard.	Click on this icon to expand the view.  When expanded for a record type, it shows the 10 latest records created in the BCH.
	The ‘plus’ icon appears on the Dashboard next to a record type (middle icon).	Click on this icon to open the online form where you can start creating a new record.
	The ‘list’ icon appears next to a record type on the Dashboard.	Click on this icon to open a summary page where you can view a list of all the associated records and their status for the respective record type.
	The ‘list’ icon also appears on the User Management page.	Click on this icon to modify the role of a National Authorized User (NAU).
	This icon appears on the summary of records page that is accessible through the Dashboard.	Click on this icon to create a duplicate of a record.
	This icon appears on the summary of records page that is accessible through the Dashboard.	Click on this icon to edit a record.
	The ‘trash bin’ icon appears on the summary of records page that is accessible through the Dashboard.	Click on this icon to delete a record.
	The blue Question Mark icon appears on the “Submission form” next to certain fields.	Click on this help icon to view a short video demonstrating how to enter information in that field.
	The “Close” icon appears on the Search page at the top right corner when one of the Global Filters is selected.	Click on this icon to close the view of the filters selected and to see the results of your search.
	This “Chat” icon appears at the bottom right corner.	Click on this icon to chat with the Secretariat and ask for more information. We will respond as soon as possible.

LMO Icons

Icon	Location	Meaning
	This icon appears in the results of queries involving decisions and risk assessments on LMOs.	This icon indicates that the decision or risk assessment refers to an LMO for Intentional introduction into the environment.
	This icon also appears in the results of queries for Competent National Authority and Law records.	This icon refers to the type of organism: Plants.
	This icon appears in the results of queries involving decisions and risk assessments on LMOs.	This icon indicates that the decision or risk assessment refers to an LMO for Direct use as food.
	This icon appears in the results of queries involving decisions and risk assessments on LMOs.	This icon indicates that the decision or risk assessment refers to an LMO for Direct use as feed.
	This icon also appears in the results of queries for Competent National Authority and Law records.	This icon refers to the type of organism: Animals.
	This icon appears in the results of queries involving decisions and risk assessments on LMOs.	This icon indicates that the decision or risk assessment refers to an LMO for Pharmaceutical use.
	This icon also appears In the results of queries for LMO records.	This icon refers to the modified trait: Production of medical or pharmaceutical compounds (human or animal).
	This icon appears in the results of queries involving decisions and risk assessments on LMOs.	This icon indicates that the decision or risk assessment refers to an LMO for Processing.
	This icon appears in the results of queries involving decisions and risk assessments on LMOs.	This icon indicates that the decision or risk assessment refers to an LMO for Contained Use.
	This icon appears in the results of queries involving decisions and risk assessments on LMOs.	This icon indicates that the decision or risk assessment refers to an LMO for Transit.
	This icon appears in the results of queries for LMO records - in "Decisions on the LMO".	This icon indicates that the decision was “approved with conditions”.
	This icon appears in the results of queries for Competent National Authority and Law records.	This icon indicates the type of organism: Bacteria.
	This icon appears in the results of queries for Competent National Authority and Law records.	This icon indicates the type of organism: Fungi.
	This icon appears in the results of queries for Competent National Authority and Law records.	This icon indicates the type of organism: Viruses.
	This icon appears in the results of queries for LMO records.	This icon indicates the modified trait: Changes in physiology and/or production.
	This icon appears in the results of queries for LMO records.	This icon indicates the modified trait: Changes in quality and/or metabolite content.
	This icon appears in the results of queries for LMO records.	This icon indicates the modified trait: Resistance to diseases and pests.
	This icon appears in the results of queries for LMO records.	This icon indicates the modified trait: Tolerance to herbicides.
	This icon appears in results of queries for decisions.	This icon indicates that the decision prohibits the LMO for a specific type of use which is indicated by the icon inside the circle.
	This icon appears in the results of queries for several records.	This icon indicates Other.

Most of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) pages are in public domain. However, to submit, update or delete information, as well as to participate in some online activities (e.g. forums, real-time conference, etc.), users must be registered and sign in with their account. Access to special areas, such as collaborative portals or dedicated forums, may also be subject to users' roles.

All registered users may submit information to the BCH, with the exception of some restrictions. 

The 2 types of users are: 

• National users; and 
• General registered users.

National users

National users are users who are authorized to create, publish and update National Records.

National Records are published by Governments and include information relevant for the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol, as well as information Parties are obliged to provide in accordance with the Protocol. 

National users are:

1. BCH National Focal Points (BCH-NFPs) who may submit and directly publish National Records with the exception of National Focal Point records.  
2. Cartagena National Focal Points (CPB-NFPs) may also submit National Records with the exception of National Focal Point records. When submitted by CPB-NFP, National Records are subject to validation by the corresponding BCH-NFP prior to publication.
3. National Authorized Users (NAUs) may submit all or some types of National Records (depending on their role), with the exception of National Focal Point records. When submitted by NAUs, National Records are subject to validation by the corresponding BCH-NFP prior to publication.

Note:

All National Records are validated and published by BCH National Focal Points only. Reference Records can be submitted by all national users as well, but they are validated and published by the Secretariat.

General registered users

General registered users are any other users who are not Focal Points or National Authorized Users. They can represent Parties, Non-Parties, governments, civil society, relevant stakeholders and general public, and may submit all types of Reference Records. Once submitted, records will be in the “pending approval” status and it is the responsibility of the Secretariat to verify the accuracy and completeness of these records prior to their publication in the BCH. Therefore, Reference Records can be published by the Secretariat only.

Important Remarks

Information submitted should exclude anything confidential as the objective is to make it publicly available on the BCH.

Exception

Contacts (CON) is the only Reference Record that can be submitted and published by any national and/or general registered BCH user.

Records are submitted through the Dashboard of the Submit page. To access the Submit page, registered users need to sign in with their e-mail and password.

Submission of a record consists of the following 4 steps: 

Record unique identifier (UID) is an identification code assigned automatically by the system to each record published in the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH).

Record UID consists of a combination of characters and numbers used to uniquely distinguish records in the BCH. 

WHAT DO THE CHARACTERS AND THE NUMBERS MEAN?

NATIONAL RECORDS:

Example: BCH-DEC-FR-123456-2

BCH: Biosafety Clearing-House

DEC: code/acronym for the record type (in this case it is for “Country’s Decision or any other Communication”)

FR: ISO code of the country that published the record (in this case - France)

123456: unique record number that is specific to each record

2: revision number of the record (latest version is always displayed by default)

REFERENCE RECORDS:

Example: BCH-LMO-SCBD-123456-2

BCH: Biosafety Clearing-House

LMO: code/acronym for the record type (in this case it is for “Living Modified Organism”)

SCBD: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (never changes as Reference Records are published by SCBD)

123456: unique record number that is specific to each record

2: revision number of the record (latest version is always displayed by default)

Note: Each time a record is updated, the last number of the UID (the revision number) is also increased by 1 indicating a new version. This allows amendments to a record to be tracked and record versions to be more easily identifiable.

Completion of the online “Submission form” for specific record types may require reference(s) to other record(s). For example, entering of additional contacts, associated risk assessments, genetic elements, or decisions may be required before a record can be submitted. If the associated record is already published in the Clearing-House, users can simply select it from a provided list and attach it to the new record submission. If the associated record does not exist, users can create it directly within the main “Submission form”. This is called “inline” record creation. 

1. In the “Submission form” of various formats where you can add referenced record(s), you will see buttons below the respective fields with a ‘+’. For example (in BCH): +Add record(s), +Contact or +Genetic element, and others.

2. When you click on one of those buttons, a pop-up box will open displaying all corresponding records published in the Clearing-House.

3. Search for the required record in that pop-up box. Tip: use the “Search” free text box. You can also change the view from ‘List’ to ‘Table’ by using the buttons on the right.

4. If the record is found: click the check-box next to the record and then click on the Select button. That record will be added on the main “Submission form” in the respective field. You can add as many records as you need.

Tip:  You can preview a record of interest from the “inline” pop-up box by clicking on it.

5. If the record is not found: click on the Create button (it will also include the name of the record type, for example Create Living Modified Organism in BCH). An inline “Submission form” will appear. Fill in the form. 

You can create as many records inline as you need.

Important remarks: 

• During “inline” record creation, the same rules for submitting and publishing National and Reference Records apply to various user roles. If the user does not have the authority to publish the record, the record created “inline” will still be added to the “Submission form” of the current record but will have a “pending approval” status. Users can continue with the submission process of the main record (no need to save it as a draft and return to it at a later time). The record created inline that is “pending approval” will appear as a draft in the main record, as well as on your Dashboard. Its status will change once the record is published. 
• Contacts (CON) are the only records that can be published by any registered user. But they are searchable only if they are referenced in other records.

If you have more questions, please chat with us by clicking on the Chat icon located at the bottom right corner, or contact us at bch@cbd.int / absch@cbd.int. 

The Dashboard is your personal workspace and is accessible through the Submit page. It provides an overview of the status​ of various records in the Clearing-House. Information is colour-coded to simplify navigation.

Records are organized in two categories: National Records and Reference Records. Downloadable common formats and online formats for all record types are accessible here. Users can submit, review and edit records, depending on their user role. They can also view and edit their profile information.

For more information, please take the virtual TAKE DASHBOARD TOUR available on the Dashboard.

The Compare button is seen when you open a record on the Search page or from the summary list that is accessed through the Dashboard (when you click on the ‘list’ icon or on the record type). The purpose of this feature is to allow users to compare the current version of a record with any previous versions. The Compare button is visible only when more than one version of a record exists.

Instructions

1. Open the record through the Dashboard or in Search.
2. Click on Compare and select a version from the drop-down list.

Differences between the two versions will be highlighted.