Cooperation with other organizations, conventions and initiatives

The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,

Having considered the note by the Executive Secretary on cooperation with other organizations, conventions and initiatives (UNEP/CBD/BS/COP-MOP/2/6),

Requests the Executive Secretary:

(a) To pursue efforts to obtain observer status for the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity with the World Trade Organization's Committees on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and on Technical Barriers to Trade;

(b) To continue the involvement of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity in discussions in the World Trade Organization's Committee on Trade and Environment on issues relevant to the Protocol;

(c) To reinforce cooperation with the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Office International des Epizooties and the International Plant Protection Convention on issues of mutual relevance;

(d) To intensify cooperation with the Aarhus Convention secretariat in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on matters of public awareness and participation;

(e) To follow developments in competent regional and international organizations with a view to exchanging experience and building capacity on sampling plans and methods of analysis, through easy to handle, rapid, reliable and cost-effective detection techniques for living modified organisms;

(f) To establish cooperation with the World Customs Organization, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the United Nations Transport of Dangerous Goods Sub-Committee, the International Air Transport Association and other relevant customs and transport organizations where biosafety issues are considered, with a view to developing a harmonized approach for the packaging and transport of living modified organisms in preparation for the consideration at the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol of the need for and modalities of developing standards with regard to identification, handling, packaging and transport practices, in accordance with the medium-term programme of work.