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.