RECOMMENDATION OF THE CONFERENCE OF
THE PARTIES SERVING AS THE MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE PROTOCOL
TO THE SEVENTH MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES ON THE
GUIDANCE TO THE FINANCIAL MECHANISM
The Conference of the Parties
Welcoming the biosafety capacity-building initiatives
of the Global Environment Facility and its implementing
agencies,
Recognizing the need to ensure that guidance to the
financial mechanism will support in a balanced manner the
objectives of the Convention and its Protocol,
Urging the Council of the Global Environment Facility
to ensure participation by all Council members in its meetings,
Stressing the need for mutual information, coordinated
action and regular monitoring in order to avoid duplication and to
identify gaps and possible synergies because of the multitude of
different actors undertaking various capacity-building initiatives,
and for an active role the Executive Secretary should play in
promoting this process,
Confirming that the arrangements between the Conference
of the Parties and the Council of the Global Environment Facility
provided for in the Memorandum of Understanding adopted by the
Conference of the Parties at its third meeting will apply,
mutatis mutandis, for purposes of the Cartagena
Protocol,
1. Decides to provide the following guidance to the
Global Environment Facility to be implemented in a timely
manner.
2. Decides also the following eligibility criteria for
funding by the Global Environment Facility:
(a) All developing countries, in particular the least developed
and small island developing States among them, and countries with
economies in transition, including countries amongst these that are
centres of origin and centres of genetic diversity, which are
Parties to the Protocol, are eligible for funding by the Global
Environment Facility in accordance with its mandate;
(b) All developing countries, in particular the least developed
and small island developing States among them, and countries with
economies in transition, including countries amongst these that are
centres of origin and centres of genetic diversity, which are
Parties to the Convention and provide a clear political commitment
towards becoming Parties to the Protocol, shall also be eligible
for funding by the Global Environment Facility for the development
of National Biosafety Frameworks and the establishment of national
Biosafety Clearing-Houses. Evidence of such political commitment
shall take the form of a written assurance to the Executive
Secretary that the country intends to become a Party to the
Protocol on completion of the activities to be funded;
3. Stresses that the provision of financial resources
by the Global Environment Facility shall be for country-driven
activities and programmes consistent with their national priorities
and objectives;
4. Invites developed country Parties, Governments, the
Global Environment Facility, other donor agencies and relevant
organizations to provide financial support and other assistance to
developing country Parties, in particular the least developed and
the small island developing States among them, and Parties with
economies in transition, including countries amongst these that are
centres of origin and centres of genetic diversity, to develop and
implement capacity-building activities, including organization of
national, regional and inter-regional capacity building workshops
and preparatory meetings;
5. Invites the Global Environment Facility to extend
support for demonstration projects on implementation of the
national biosafety frameworks to other eligible countries;
6. Urges the Global Environment Facility to ensure a
rapid implementation of its initial strategy for assisting
countries to prepare for the ratification and implementation of the
Protocol, and to support capacity-building for the establishment of
national components of the Biosafety Clearing-House in a flexible
manner, and to provide additional support for the development
and/or strengthening of existing national and regional centres for
training; regulatory institutions; risk assessment and risk
management; infrastructure for LMO detection, testing,
identification and long-term monitoring; legal advice;
decision-making; handling of socio-economic considerations;
awareness-raising and technology transfer for biosafety;
7. Notes that the role of the Global Environment
Facility, in accordance with its mandate, in the Action Plan for
Building Capacities for the Effective Implementation of the
Protocol, adopted by the Conference of the Parties serving as the
meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety at
its first meeting, includes:
(a) Providing funding and other assistance to build necessary
legislative and administrative frameworks, and for training in risk
assessment and risk management;
(b) Deciding on further areas for financial support for
capacity-building in accordance with the identified priority needs
of developing countries and countries with economies in transition,
responses to the questionnaires, the outcomes of inter-sessional
workshops, and its previous pilot project on biosafety;
(c) Implementing the GEF Strategy to assist countries to ratify
and implement the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety;
(d) Facilitating the provision of technical support; and
(e) Facilitating the use of existing and developing regional
networks.
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