Recallingdecision
BS-I/9 which requested Parties to submit their reports on a
general frequency of every four years from the date of entry into
force of the Protocol,
Taking note of the first national
reports, which were due in September 2007,
Recalling alsodecision
BS-IV/14 which requested the Executive Secretary to propose
improvements to the reporting format based on experiences gained
through the analysis of the first national reports, the
recommendations of the Compliance Committee and suggestions made by
Parties, for consideration at the fifth meeting of the Conference
of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the
Protocol,
Taking note of the recommendations of
the Compliance Committee concerning national reporting,
1.Welcomes the reporting format annexed hereto
and requests the Executive Secretary to make the final
format available through the Biosafety Clearing-House and in
Microsoft Word format;
2.Requests Parties to use the reporting format
for the preparation of their second national report or, in the case
of Parties submitting their national report for the first time, to
use it for their first national report on the implementation of
their obligations under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety;
3.Requests Parties to submit to the Secretariat
their second national report on the implementation of the Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety:
(a)In an official language of the
United Nations;
(b)Through the Biosafety
Clearing-House, or in the Microsoft Word form that will be made
available by the Secretariat for this purpose duly signed by the
national focal point;
4.Encourages Parties to respond to all
questions in the reporting format including questions that do not
necessarily represent obligations under the Protocol but are
considered to be useful to gather information that facilitates the
establishment of baselines for subsequent assessment and review
processes of the effectiveness of the Protocol as well as measuring
the achievement of the Strategic Plan adopted at the present
meeting;
5.Reiterates its recommendation to Parties to
prepare their reports through a consultative process involving all
relevant stakeholders, as appropriate;
6.Encourages Parties to give priority, as
appropriate, to national reporting when seeking funding from the
Global Environment Facility;
7.Encourages Parties that encounter difficulty
in the timely completion of their reporting obligations to seek
assistance from the Secretariat or the Compliance Committee, and
use, as appropriate, national experts and experts from the roster
of biosafety experts;
8.Requests the Executive Secretary to:
(a)Consider adjusting the
reporting format of the third and subsequent national reports, and
make the format available to the appropriate meeting of the Parties
to the Protocol, with a view to relating the national reports to
the strategic priorities of the Protocol by limiting subsequent
reporting to:
(i)Questions that require regular
updating; and
(ii)Questions relating to priority
areas applicable to the reporting period as indicated in the
Strategic Plan and the programme of work and as determined by the
Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to
the Protocol;
(b)Send confidential reminders to
the national focal points of individual Parties that do not submit
their national report of their obligation to do so;
(c)Organize an online forum, or,
subject to the availability of funds, regional or subregional
workshops on national reporting with a view to assist Parties in
the preparation of their national reports and exchange best
practices and experience on the fulfillment of the monitoring and
reporting obligations under the Protocol; and
(d)Take into account, in setting
the date of submission of the second national reports in accordance
with paragraph 5 of
decision
BS-I/9, the time constraint that developing country Parties
might face due to limited capacity;
9.Noting that some Parties to the Convention
that are not yet Parties to the Protocol have submitted first
national reports, invites non-Parties to share their
experiences and information on their biosafety-related regulatory
and administrative measures by submitting national reports.
