BCH Developments

Dear all,

As you may be aware, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, under the auspices of the Kunming Biodiversity Fund Project entitled "Enhancing Biosafety Capacity for Sustainable Use", will convene a one-and-a-half-day Biosafety Clearing-House and Risk Assessment Training Workshop on 17-18 October 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia, on the margins of the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP-MOP-12).

This message serves as a kind reminder that the deadline to request financial support for this event is Wednesday, 15 July 2026. The deadline to register for the workshop (without financial assistance) is 1 September 2026.

For full details on the registration procedure, please see the notification at the following link: https://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2026/ntf-2026-046-bch-en.pdf

Best regards,
The BCH Team

Dear all,

This message serves as a kind reminder that the deadline for the submission of the fifth national report is fast approaching. As you are aware, reports must be submitted by 28 February 2026. Please note that only information from reports submitted by this deadline will be considered in the Protocol review processes leading to MOP 12.

As of today, 24 countries have already submitted their fifth national report through the Biosafety Clearing-House. We would like to congratulate those Parties on their timely submissions!

We also encourage you to contact us if you have any questions regarding the completion of the reporting format or technical issues related to publishing the report in the Biosafety Clearing-House.

An instructional video demonstrating how to submit the fifth national report is available at the following link: https://bch.cbd.int/en/kb/tags/bch-announcement/How-to-submit-and-publish-the-Fifth-National-Report-in-the-BCH/6888cf500a098d9468a62543

Please do not hesitate to get in touch should you have any questions.

Best,
The BCH Team

Dear BCH users,

The purpose of this message is to inform you of the 3 new videos that were created in-house by the BCH team aimed at helping you with updating  National Records and Reference Records.

The videos describe 3 easy ways to access published records in the BCH in order to edit or delete them. The videos are:

• How to update published National Records – intended for BCH-NFPs
• How to update published National Records – intended for NAUs and CPB-NFPs
• How to update published Reference Records – intended for all registered users

The videos also demonstrate other features such as how to cancel a request for publication or deletion if you are an NAU or a regular user, and where to find more help in the BCH.

The 3 videos are available in the Knowledge Base (in English) at this link: https://bch.cbd.int/en/kb/tags/submitting-information/How-do-I-edit-an-already-published-record-video-/619c554a0c1ff000011c1c40

We would also like to remind you about the created instructional videos (in English, French, Russian and Spanish) on how to submit fifth national report on the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol in the BCH. They are available here:  https://bch.cbd.int/en/kb/tags/bch/Frequently-Asked-Questions-Fifth-National-Report/6529434b05aa4d43a9bf0936, and also on the “Introduction” page when you submit the report online.

We hope you will find the videos helpful!

Kind regards,
The BCH Team

Dear all,

Kindly note that the Secretariat will be conducting scheduled technical maintenance on all websites hosted on cbd.int, from Friday, May 9, 23:00 UTC to Sunday, May 11, 23:00 UTC.

During this time, you may experience intermittent access to the BCH.

Thank you for your patience.

Best regards,
The BCH Team

Dear Sir or Madam,

We would like to bring to your attention that the Global Environment Facility (GEF) will be providing support to eligible Parties for the preparation and submission of their fifth national reports under the Cartagena Protocol, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is supporting the necessary arrangements in this respect.

For eligible Parties that have NOT already done so, we urge you to submit a letter of endorsement for the project. The letter needs to be signed by your country’s GEF operational focal point and submitted to UNEP through Mr. Alex Owusu-Biney (alex.owusu-biney@un.org) as soon as possible.

The initial deadline for receiving letters of endorsement was 30 August 2024. We have been informed by UNEP that it is still possible for eligible Parties to submit letters; however, these need to be submitted without further delay.

Information on GEF operational focal points is available at: https://www.thegef.org/who-we-are/focal-points 

A template letter of endorsement is attached to this message.

More information on the submission of the fifth national report on the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol is available in notification 2024-073 (https://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2024/ntf-2024-073-bs-en.pdf) dated 15 July 2024, as well as at this webpage: https://bch.cbd.int/en/kb/tags/bch/Frequently-Asked-Questions-Fifth-National-Report/6529434b05aa4d43a9bf0936

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued cooperation and support for the work of the Cartagena Protocol.

Best wishes,
The Biosafety Team, CBD Secretariat

Dear colleagues,

This message is to draw your attention to the BCH Training Workshop that the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is organizing on the margins of the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP-MOP-11).

The BCH Training Workshop will be held on 26 October 2024 in Cali, Colombia.

Registration:

Those who wish to participate in the workshop must be accredited to attend CP-MOP 11 and must complete the pre-registration form. All information is available at: https://www.cbd.int/meetings/CP-BCH-WS-2024-01 

More details (e.g. agenda, information note for participants) will also be posted on that site in due course.

Deadline for registration is 1 September 2024.

We look forward to meeting you in Colombia!

Kind regards,
Anastasia Beliaeva
The BCH Team

Dear Colleagues,

My name is Zakir Jafry and I am very happy to announce that I have resumed the role as the Programme Management Officer of the Biosafety Clearing-House.

As many of you may be aware, I held this position from June 2021 until May 2023. I am very keen to continue to advance the work of the clearing-house and to continue serving you all and the wider BCH community.

For those of you attending COP 16 and CP-MOP 11, I look forward to seeing you in Cali very soon!

Best regards,
Zakir

Zakir Jafry
Biosafety Clearing-House Programme Management Officer
United Nations Environment Programme/Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
413 Saint-Jaques street,  suite 800
Montreal, Quebec
H2Y 1N9
zakir.jafry@un.org

Dear colleagues,

The purpose of this message is to invite you to participate in a survey aimed at assessing the impact of the BCH III Project on national biosafety systems. Please see the message below from the BCH III Project Team with further information and details.

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Dear Sir/ Madam,

We hope this message finds you well.

As a key stakeholder in the global effort to strengthen biosafety systems, your expertise and experience are highly valued. We are reaching out to invite you to participate in an important survey aimed at assessing the impact of the BCH III Project on national biosafety systems. This survey will also help us identify critical capacity-building needs to ensure the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of the biosafety clearing house globally.

Your input will directly influence the international dialogue on the role of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) in supporting national policies, risk assessment, and decision making processes regarding Living Modified Organisms (LMOs). Moreover, your insights will guide future capacity-building initiatives, reinforcing the commitments made under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and ensuring that national systems are equipped to meet emerging challenges.

This survey aims to:                                                                                                                               
1. Evaluate how BCH III Project has strengthened national biosafety policies, legal frameworks, and technical regulations.
2. Assess the effectiveness of knowledge transfer from BCH training workshops and Training of Trainers (ToTs).
3. Investigate the role of the BCH in supporting decision-making and risk assessments for LMOs.
4. Review the performance of the BCH Regional Advisor system in enhancing national efforts.
5. Identify strategic capacity-building needs to further advance national biosafety systems and ensure they are resilient and responsive to future challenges.

Survey link:
https://forms.office.com/r/ySdkCKpxza

Your voice is crucial in shaping the next phase of global biosafety cooperation and ensuring that the legacy of the BCH III Project continues to support national capacities. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, and we kindly request your response by October 12, 2024.

We greatly appreciate your time and commitment to this important initiative. Your contributions will significantly impact the future direction of biosafety capacity building and international collaboration.

Best regards.

Dear colleagues,

The purpose of this message is to draw your attention to the notification that was issued by the Secretariat yesterday on the subject above.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has launched an online survey to collect opinions on the development of unique identifiers for transgenic animals.

You are kindly encouraged to participate in this survey which is available at the following link: https://survey.oecd.org/index.php?r=survey/index&sid=810810

The deadline for completion of the survey is 6 December 2024.

The full text of the notification is available at this link: https://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2024/ntf-2024-090-bs-en.pdf

Kind regards,

The Biosafety team

Dear colleagues,

The Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) and the ABS Clearing-House (ABSCH) provide various help tools (materials), which are similar in both clearing-houses, and are designed to assist users with website navigation and performing various tasks.

Please note that the Secretariat will host a webinar on Thursday, 11 April 2024 at 9a.m. EDT (Montreal time), to demonstrate LIVE where those help materials can be easily found and describe their functionality. The webinar will cover such help tools as:

-- Knowledge Base
-- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
-- Tours
-- Contextual Help
-- Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in the BCH
-- Training Site
-- Chat
-- Videos and webinars

This webinar is open to everyone, including both BCH and ABSCH users.

To register, please visit: https://bch.cbd.int/en/kb/tags/bch-announcement/WEBINAR-Where-to-find-Help-materials-in-BCH-and-ABSCH-/6605ad534defc2994ae7927f

We look forward to your active participation.

Best regards,
The Biosafety and ABS teams

Dear colleagues,

On 22 January this year, the Secretariat sent out a notification on the above subject, available on the CBD website at: http://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2024/ntf-2024-007-bch-en.pdf

The purpose of the survey to assess the experience of users with the existing BCH national website tools and explore the expectations for the future, with the aim to understand better countries’ needs for their national websites.

The link to the survey is: https://forms.office.com/e/QFDe21x3vZ

Your participation in the survey would be greatly appreciated!

We look forward to your responses so that we could better serve your needs with respect to national biosafety websites.

Kind regards,
Anastasia Beliaeva
Biosafety Team

Dear colleagues,

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 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.

Registration

The webinar will be held on the Zoom platform. Interested participants are invited to register for the webinar through this link. The deadline for registration is 10 September 2023. Further details about the webinar are available at: https://bch.cbd.int/protocol/20thanniversary2023.shtml.

Submission of articles

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.

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Finally, just to remind you that to access this BCH on BCH Forum, simply select it from the Forums menu on the top navigation bar of the BCH.

Thank you and kind regards,

The Biosafety Team

Dear colleagues,

In its decision CP-VIII/2, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol requested the Executive Secretary to undertake a number of tasks related to the BCH, including carrying out its full migration to its new platform and sending to the BCH focal points a chronogram detailing the migration and follow-up processes.

In response to the request in decision CP-VIII/2, paragraph 8(c), the Secretariat prepared a chronogram outlining the timeline for the migration of the BCH to its new platform and follow-up processes. The chronogram was shared with national focal points for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the BCH through notification 2019-063 issued on 25 July 2019 and was made available on the home page of the old BCH platform.

The new BCH platform went officially live on 29 November 2021.

In its decision CP-10/5, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol welcomed the migration of the central portal of the Biosafety Clearing-House to its new platform and the improvements made in accordance with the joint modalities of operation for the clearing-house mechanism of the Convention, the Biosafety Clearing-House and the Access and Benefit-sharing Clearing-House.

The file attached herewith describes the nine activities that were set out in the chronogram as part of the migration, and their status as at April 2023.

Please also see the announcement on the Home page of the BCH at https://bch.cbd.int/en/

Kind regards,
The Biosafety Team

Dear Colleagues,

Please note that the Secretariat will host a webinar on 25 May at 09:00 AM EST (Montreal time) on the topic of scientific information in the Biosafety Clearing-House. Users are invited to send us questions related to this topic and we will answer them during the webinar.

The webinar will cover the following:
- Scientific records in the clearing-house: Living Modified Organisms (LMOs), organisms, genetic elements, virtual library resources, laboratories. 
- LMO, genetic elements and organism registries.
- How to use the Search tool to find scientific information in the BCH.
- Linkages with other biosafety databases.
- Best practices when submitting scientific records to the BCH.

Please register at the following link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/4fff0065-a72a-4f1d-b2c3-42bbe9127353@0f9e35db-544f-4f60-bdcc-5ea416e6dc70

Best regards,
Zakir Jafry

Dear colleagues,

The Secretariat is conducting a brief, 5-minute survey to better understand the capacity building and training needs for users of the Biosafety Clearing-House.

The survey is available at the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/cT7fAbkG5U

We kindly request that you complete this form by 28 February 2023.

Best regards,
Zakir Jafry

Dear colleagues,

Please note that the Secretariat will host a webinar next Tuesday, 31 January 2023 at 9a.m. EST on recently developments on the Biosafety Clearing-House and the ABS Clearing-House.

This webinar is open to everyone, including both ABS Clearing-House and Biosafety Clearing-House users.

For connection information and other details, please visit: https://bch.cbd.int/en/kb/tags/bch-announcement/Webinar-Overview-of-new-and-improved-clearing-house-features/63cede7ab4329e0001452a72

Best regards,
Zakir Jafry

Dear colleagues,

Please note that the Secretariat will host a webinar on Thursday, 23 February 2023 at 9a.m. EST on publishing information in the Biosafety Clearing-House and the ABS Clearing-House.

We will demonstrate several features on the Submit page of the clearing-houses. You are invited to send us your questions related to publishing/submitting information in the clearing-house and we will answer them during the webinar.

This webinar is open to everyone, including both ABS Clearing-House and Biosafety Clearing-House users.

Kindly register at the following link: https://teams.microsoft.com/registration/2zWeD09UYE-9zF6kFubccA,VuF0myKGwUWhFgClOsO2Ag,RXWA59VM606K5V2m2rz-xw,iQQkSdz7aUm_RBNx69RWGA,k9pFqbBAEke76SVGyJ9NGg,knFf7TzVa0-IdX9grDgYqQ?mode=read&tenantId=0f9e35db-544f-4f60-bdcc-5ea416e6dc70

For additional details, view our recent announcement here: https://bch.cbd.int/en/kb/tags/bch-announcement/Clearing-House-Webinar-Question-and-Answers-about-Publishing-Information/63e15e7f8105820001c3db9a

Best regards,
Zakir Jafry

Dear colleagues,

It has come to our attention that users are receiving spam messages that reference the BCH, in which donations are being requested by email.

Please note that these spam emails are not from the Secretariat and should be discarded immediately.

The Secretariat is taking measures to rectify the situation.

Best regards,
Zakir Jafry

Dear colleagues,

Please note that in partnership with the UNEP-GEF BCH III Project, the Secretariat will be hosting a side event at COP-15 / CP-MOP-10 / NP-MOP-4 to celebrate the launch of the new platform of the Biosafety Clearing-House on Thursday, 15 December in room 511AD at the Palais des congrès in Montreal.

We kindly invite all colleagues in attendance to join the festivities this coming Thursday at 13:15 over lunch (provided).

Additional details are available at the following link: https://www.cbd.int/side-events/4655

Best regards,
Zakir Jafry

Dear colleagues,

I would like to bring to your attention the recent notification inviting Parties to nominate delegates to the Biosafety Clearing-House training workshop, which will be held from 5-6 December, on the margins of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP-MOP-10).

The training workshop is being offered to the National Focal Points and National Authorized Users for the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) from all country Parties to the Cartagena Protocol, especially those who have endorsed the UNEP-GEF BCH III Project. Please note that the nominees must be also accredited as national representatives to attend CP-MOP-10.

Kindly review the necessary steps to make a nomination indicated in the notification (linked below). While nominations will be accepted until 10 October 2022, note that limited funding is available to Parties participating in the UNEP-GEF BCH III Project on a first-come, first-served basis.

Notification link: https://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2022/ntf-2022-060-bch-en.docx

Please do not hesitate to get in touch should you have any questions.

Best regards,
Zakir Jafry

Dear colleagues,

I am happy to report that we will soon be releasing several updates on the Biosafety Clearing-House. This will include user interface (UI) updates as well a new “Share” feature on the clearing-house, which will allow you to easily share BCH content via URL, email, or embedding record(s) in your own website. Once this release is made, we will share details regarding how to use this new feature.

We have also been working to restore the linkage to national websites that are using Ajax and Hermes to display BCH content. With this in mind, we kindly request that users of these applications please contact me so we can ensure a smooth transition for your website. Kindly email me at zakir.jafry@un.org.

Additionally, for National Focal Points for the Cartagena Protocol: you should have previously received correspondence regarding a survey being carried out by the CBD Secretariat on experiences in accessing resources from the financial mechanism for the preparation of national reports. This is a kind reminder to complete the survey linked below at your earliest convenience. Many thanks to those that have already completed it.
Link: https://forms.office.com/r/kj9hbCT7xi

Best regards,
Zakir

Zakir Jafry
Biosafety Clearing-House Programme Management Officer
United Nations Environment Programme/Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
413 Saint-Jaques street,  suite 800
Montreal, Quebec
H2Y 1N9