Background
At its fifth meeting, in decision
BS-V/9, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (COP-MOP) mandated a number of activities for laboratories involved in the detection and identification of living modified organisms (LMOs). Specifically, the COP-MOP requested the establishment, through the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH), of an electronic network of laboratories involved in the detection and identification of LMOs and the organization of workshops for heads of detection laboratories. The COP-MOP also requested Parties and encouraged other Governments and relevant organizations to make available to the BCH, inter alia, methods for the detection and identification of LMOs.
In decision
BS-V/16, the COP-MOP adopted the Strategic Plan for implementation of the Protocol for the period 2011-2020. Among the outcomes set out by the Strategic Plan, the following are relevant to LMO detection and identification:
- Easy to use and reliable technical tools for the detection of unauthorized LMOs are developed and made available (under Focal Area 1, Operational Objective 1.6);
- Guidance developed to assist Parties to detect and take measures to respond to unintentional releases of living modified organisms (under Focal Area 1, Operational Objective 1.8); and
- Personnel are trained and equipped for sampling, detection and identification of LMOs (under Focal Area 2, Operational Objective 2.3).
At its sixth meeting, in decision
BS-VI/3 on Capacity-Building, the COP-MOP adopted a framework and action plan aimed at advancing the implementation of the capacity-building components of the Strategic Plan. The indicators, results and activities linked to outcome (iii) above as adopted in the capacity-building action plan are available in the annex to the decision.
In response to the requests of the COP-MOP regarding the detection and identification of LMOs and with the view to achieving the relevant objectives of the strategic plan, the Secretariat organized a series of online discussions and a
workshop under the Network of Laboratories for the Detection and Identification of LMOs develop a strategy to address Parties’ needs regarding detection and identification of LMOs to be presented as a set of recommendations for consideration of the COP-MOP at its seventh meeting. Information on past discussions is available through the "past activities" tabs on the left.
In considering the progress made by the Network at their seventh meeting, the COP-MOP, in their decision
BS-VII/10, requested the Online Network of Laboratories for the Detection and Identification of Living Modified Organisms to continue working on issues relevant to the detection and identification of living modified organisms with a view to achieving the operational objectives of the Strategic Plan relevant to the implementation of Article 17.
At the eighth meeting of the Parties, in decision
CP-VIII/16, the COP-MOP requested the Executive Secretary to continue organizing online discussions of the Network of Laboratories focusing on detection and identification of LMOs. Additionally, the COP-MOP requested the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with the Network of Laboratories, to continue working on the draft training manual and make a draft available for consideration by the COP-MOP at its ninth meeting.
In decision
CP-9/11, the COP-MOP took note of the draft training manual and requested the Executive Secretary to review and finalize it, ensuring consistency with Article 17 of the Protocol. The decision also requested the Executive Secretary to continue convening online discussions of the Network of Laboratories for the Detection and Identification of Living Modified Organisms. In addition, in decision
14/19 on synthetic biology, the Conference of Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity requested the Executive Secretary to collaborate and convene discussions, including through the Network of Laboratories for the Detection and Identification of Living Modified Organisms, for sharing experiences on the detection and identification of organisms, components and products of synthetic biology, and to continue inviting laboratories, including analytical laboratories, to join the Network.
