Public awareness and participation
The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the
Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,
Recalling Article 23 of the Protocol on public
awareness and participation,
Emphasizing the importance of public awareness,
education and participation in promoting transparency, public
confidence and broad-based support for the effective implementation
of the Protocol,
Underlining the importance of making the information
concerning the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified
organisms available to different stakeholders in comprehensible
formats and adapting awareness materials to local languages and
situations,
Emphasizing the need for cooperative efforts to promote
education and public awareness to increase the knowledge and
understanding concerning the safe transfer, handling and use of
living modified organisms,
1. Takes note of the options for facilitating
cooperation of Parties with other States and relevant international
bodies in the promotion of public awareness, education and
participation concerning the safe transfer, handling and use of
living modified organisms contained in the note by the Executive
Secretary on options for cooperation of Parties with other States
and international bodies on the promotion and facilitation of
public awareness, education and participation concerning living
modified organisms (UNEP/CBD/BS/COP-MOP/2/13) prepared for the
second meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the
meeting of the Parties to the Protocol;
2. Encourages Parties and other States, as part of
their efforts in implementing Article 23, paragraph 1 (a), to seek
and leverage opportunities for cooperation with other Parties,
other States and relevant international bodies at subregional,
regional and international levels, taking into account the options
referred to in paragraph 1 above;
3. Urges Parties and other States to develop and
implement national programmes for public awareness, education and
participation, including public access to information, concerning
the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified
organisms;
4. Invites the Global Environment Facility, donors,
other funding institutions and relevant international bodies to
provide financial and other support to developing country Parties,
in particular the least developed and small island developing
States among them, as well as Parties with economies in transition
for the public awareness, education and participation projects and
activities concerning the safe transfer, handling and use of living
modified organisms;
5. Further invites Parties, other States, and relevant
international bodies to share, through the Biosafety Information
Resource Centre in the Biosafety Clearing-House, information,
awareness materials and case-studies about their ongoing
initiatives on public awareness, education and participation,
including major accomplishments, success stories, best practices
and lessons learned as well as limitations experienced;
6. Encourages Parties and other States to make
effective use of the media to promote public awareness and
education concerning the safe transfer, handling and use of living
modified organisms;
7. Urges Parties, other Government and relevant
international bodies to develop and support subregional and
regional public awareness and education initiatives concerning the
safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms,
including through educational systems and regional centres;
8. Reminds Parties and other States to submit to the
Biosafety Clearing-House information regarding their capacity
needs, gaps, programmes and priorities with respect to public
awareness, education and participation;
9. Encourages Parties, other States and relevant
international bodies to make effective use of the tools and
mechanisms established under the Global Initiative on
Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) under the
Convention on Biological Diversity;
10. Invites Parties, other States and relevant
international bodies to include in their programmes for
implementing the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development specific activities related to promoting public
awareness, education and participation concerning the safe
transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms in relation
to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity,
taking into account also risks to human health;
11. Invites Parties, other States and concerned
relevant international bodies to explore and maximize opportunities
for cooperation in the promotion of public awareness, education and
participation concerning living modified organisms through the
frameworks provided by related national and international
instruments, in particular the Aarhus Convention on Access to
Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to
Justice in Environmental Matters;
12. Requests the Executive Secretary to continue
promoting public awareness and education on the Protocol, including
through the Protocol website, the outreach strategy for the
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (UNEP/CBD/BS/COP-MOP/1/INF/16) as
well as publications such as a handbook reflecting developments in
the Protocol process;
13. Decides to consider, and review progress on the
implementation of Article 23, paragraph 1 (a), of the Protocol at
its fifth meeting;
14. Further requests the Executive Secretary to
prepare, on the basis of the submissions made in accordance with
paragraph 5 above, a synthesis report on the status of
implementation of Article 23, paragraph 1 (a), of the Protocol for
consideration by the Conference of the Parties serving as the
meeting of the Parties to the Protocol at its fifth meeting.
