Mandate of the BCH-IAC

In its Decision BS-I/3, the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol adopted the Modalities of Operation of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH). Section 5 of the modalities of operation states: “The Secretariat may seek assistance from an informal advisory committee, constituted and coordinated by the Executive Secretary in a transparent manner, with a particular focus on providing guidance with respect to resolution of technical issues associated with the ongoing development of the Biosafety Clearing-House.”

The BCH Informal Advisory Committee (BCH-IAC) adopted, at its first meeting, its Operational Procedures.

The participants to the 4th IAC meeting, held in Montreal on 17-18 November 2008, recommended to the Secretariat to establish a BCH-IAC discussion forum to maintain an open line of communication among the committee's members. The forum is accessible to BCH-IAC members only.

Note: Information about all the meetings of the BCH-IAC can be found here.