Twelfth Meeting of the BCH-IAC (15 - 16 May 2023, Montreal, Canada)

The twelfth meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee was convened to review the progress made since its eleventh meeting and to seek further guidance on a number of areas, including improving the functionality of the BCH Central Portal. Participants discussed the following items outlined in the provisional agenda: (i) Status of the Biosafety Clearing-House: latest developments and current and planned activities; (ii) Decisions adopted at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol relating to the Biosafety Clearing-House; (iii) Collaboration on the United Nations Environment Programme-Global Environment Facility Biosafety Clearing-House III Capacity‑Building Project; (iv)  Collaboration with biosafety-related organizations. The “Summary of outcomes” reports conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary for consideration in the implementation of the programme of work on the Biosafety Clearing-House.

For full texts: Summary of outcomes, Meeting Documents.

Eleventh Meeting of the BCH-IAC (1 - 4 December 2020, online)

The eleventh meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee was convened by the Executive Secretary to review the progress made since its tenth meeting and to seek further guidance on a number of areas, including improving the functionality of the BCH Central Portal and its migration to the new platform. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was held online using the GoToWebinar platform. Participants discussed the following items outlined in the provisional agenda: (i) Migration of the Biosafety Clearing-House; (ii) Status of the current Biosafety Clearing-House; (iii) Collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme – Global Environment Facility BCH III capacity-building project; (iv) Post-2020 processes and its relevance to the Biosafety Clearing-House. The “Summary of outcomes” reports conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary for consideration in the implementation of the programme of work on the Biosafety Clearing-House.

For full texts: Summary of outcomes, Meeting Documents.

Tenth Meeting of the BCH-IAC (11 April - 12 April 2016, Ispra, Italy)

The tenth meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee was convened by the Executive Secretary to seek guidance with respect to technical issues associated with the ongoing development of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH). Participants discussed the following items outlined in the provisional agenda: (i) Review of the conclusions and recommendations emanating from the ninth meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee on the Biosafety Clearing-House; (ii) Latest developments in the Biosafety Clearing-House and ongoing projects; (iii) Status update regarding collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme – Global Environment Facility Biosafety Clearing-House Capacity Building project; (iv) Status update regarding the analysis of National Reports; and (v) Cooperation with international organizations regarding the provision of information on living modified organisms. The “Summary of outcomes” reports conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary for consideration in the implementation of the programme of work on the Biosafety Clearing-House.

For full texts: Summary of outcomes, Meeting Documents.

Ninth Meeting of the BCH-IAC (2 April - 4 April 2014, Ispra, Italy)

The ninth meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee was convened by the Executive Secretary to seek guidance with respect to technical issues associated with the ongoing development of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH). Participants discussed the following items outlined in the provisional agenda: (i) Latest developments in the Biosafety Clearing-House and ongoing projects; (ii) Review of the conclusions and recommendations of the eighth meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee on the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH-IAC); (iii) Status update regarding collaboration with the UNEP-GEF Biosafety Clearing-House Capacity Building Project; and (iv) Recommendations to the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The “Summary of outcomes” reports conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary for consideration in the implementation of the programme of work on the Biosafety Clearing-House.

For full texts: Summary of outcomes, Meeting Documents.

Eighth Meeting of the BCH-IAC (17 April 2013, Online format)

The eighth meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee on the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH-IAC) consisted of discussions of issues through an online forum started on 18 March and concluded with a real-time online teleconference on 17 April 2013. The meeting was convened by the Executive Secretary to seek guidance with respect to technical issues associated with the ongoing development of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH). Participants discussed the following items outlined in the provisional agenda: (i) Developments in the Biosafety Clearing-House and ongoing projects; (ii) Outcomes of the conclusions and recommendations of the sixth and seventh meetings of the Informal Advisory Committee on the Biosafety Clearing-House; (iii) Outcomes of the BCH-IAC Survey; and (iv) Ongoing collaboration with the UNEP-GEF project for continued enhancement of building capacity for effective participation in the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH II); and (v) Requests to the Executive Secretary from the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP). The “Summary of outcomes” reports conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary for consideration in the implementation of the programme of work on the Biosafety Clearing-House.

For full texts: Summary of outcomes, Meeting Documents.

Seventh Meeting of the BCH-IAC (28 March - 30 March 2012, Montreal, Canada)

The seventh meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee was convened by the Executive Secretary to seek guidance with respect to technical issues associated with the ongoing development of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH). Participants discussed the following items outlined in the provisional agenda: (i) Developments in the Biosafety Clearing-House and ongoing projects; (ii) Outcomes of the conclusions and recommendations of the sixth meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee on the Biosafety Clearing-House; (iii) Collaboration with the UNEP-GEF project for continued enhancement of building capacity for effective participation in the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH-II, 2010-2012); and (iv) Cooperation with international organizations regarding the provision of information on living modified organisms. The “Summary of outcomes” reports conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary for consideration in the implementation of the programme of work on the Biosafety Clearing-House.

For full texts: Summary of outcomes, Meeting Documents.

Sixth Meeting of the BCH-IAC (30 March -1 April 2011, Montreal, Canada)

The sixth meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee was convened by the Executive Secretary to seek guidance with respect to technical issues associated with the ongoing development of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH). Participants discussed the following items outlined in the provisional agenda: (i) Strategic plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP decision BS-V/16): its relevance to the Biosafety Clearing-House and future challenges; (ii) Latest developments in the Biosafety Clearing-House and ongoing projects; (iii) Collaboration with the UNEP-GEF BCH II Capacity Building Project; and (iv) Implementation of COP-MOP decision BS-V/2. The “Summary of outcomes” reports conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary for consideration in the implementation of the programme of work on the Biosafety Clearing-House.

For full texts: Summary of outcomes, Meeting Documents.

Fifth Meeting of the BCH-IAC (19-21 October 2009, Montreal, Canada)

The fifth meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee was convened by the Executive Secretary to seek guidance with respect to technical issues associated with the ongoing development of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH). The meeting discussed the following items outlined in the provisional agenda: (i) Current status of the BCH; (ii) Assessment of recent BCH changes; (iii) Assessment of the BCH forum, activities and tools; (iv) Assessment of national and regional nodes; (v) Pending requests from the decisions of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety; (vi) Status of the UNEP-GEF BCH project extension; (vii) Draft Strategic Plan of the Cartagena Protocol focusing on the BCH component; and (vii) Future developments and challenges. The “Summary of outcomes” reports conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary for consideration in the implementation of the programme of work on the Biosafety Clearing-House.

For full texts: Summary of outcomes, Meeting Documents.

Fourth Meeting of the BCH-IAC (17-18 November 2008, Montreal, Canada)

The fourth meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee was convened by the Executive Secretary to seek guidance with respect to technical issues associated with the ongoing development of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH). The meeting discussed the following items outlined in the provisional agenda: (i) Introduction and overview; (ii) Review of the new Management Centre, new registration pages and common formats for off-line registration; (iii) Review of the new “Help” section in the Biosafety Clearing-House; (iv) General progress in the multi-year programme of work; (v) Pending requests from the decisions of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP); (vi) Training activities and collaboration with the UNEP-GEF Biosafety Clearing-House project; and (vii) Future developments and challenges. The “Summary of outcomes” reports conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary for consideration in the implementation of the programme of work on the Biosafety Clearing-House.

For full texts: Summary of outcomes, Meeting Documents.

Third Meeting of the BCH-IAC (4-5 October 2007, Montreal, Canada)

The Executive Secretary convened the third meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee to review the progress of the BCH and provide further guidance on the technical issues related to the enhanced implementation of the BCH. The meeting discussed the following items outlined in the annotated agenda: (i) Introduction and overview; (ii) National implementation, and case-studies of national experiences; (iii) Overview of information sharing partnership arrangements; (iv) Progress in the multi-year programme of work; (v) Capacity-building activities and (vi) The 2007 review of the Biosafety Clearing-House. The “Summary of outcomes” reports conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary for consideration in the implementation of the programme of work on the Biosafety Clearing-House.

For full texts: Summary of outcomes, Meeting Documents.

Second Meeting of the BCH-IAC (23-24 November 2006, Geneva, Switzerland)

In the summary of outcomes of the meeting, the Committee put forth conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary regarding (i) management of information at the national level; (ii) design of the central portal; (iii) capacity-building; (iv) partnership arrangements; (v) compliance issues; (vi) interoperability mechanisms; and (vii) the multi-year programme of work. The “Summary of outcomes” reports conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary for consideration in the implementation of the programme of work on the Biosafety Clearing-House.

For full texts: Summary of outcomes, Meeting Documents.

First Meeting of the BCH-IAC (9-10 November 2004, Montreal, Canada)

In the summary of outcomes of the meeting, the Committee put forth conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary regarding (i) the structure and function of the central ports; (ii) information content and management; and (iii) capacity-building and non-Internet accessibility. The “Summary of outcomes” reports conclusions and recommendations to the Executive Secretary for consideration in the implementation of the programme of work on the Biosafety Clearing-House.

For full texts: Summary of outcomes, Meeting Documents.