Finally, although the risk assessment practices differ between countries they are still primarily based on the principals outlined in Annex III of the protocol.

National Biosafety Frameworks, when established, define the conditions that trigger the need for a risk assessment. Without prejudice to any right of a country to subject all living modified organisms to a risk assessment, under the Cartagena Protocol two specific cases require mandatory risk assessments prior to making a decision: a) the first intentional transboundary movement of a living modified organism for intentional introduction into the environment of the Party of import, and b) a final decision regarding the domestic use of a living modified organism, including its placement on the market, that may be subject to transboundary movement for direct use as food or feed, or for processing.

Upon receiving a request that triggers a risk assessment, the CNA takes several actions as part of a process to ensure that a scientifically sound risk assessment is carried out by risk assessors. These may include the following:

1. Reviewing the LMO notification for completeness against a pre-determined list of information;
2. Specifying the terms of reference of the risk assessment and the information expected in the final report;
3. Identifying one or more risk assessors who will conduct and manage the risk assessment.

The risk assessment process includes practices and principles that may differ between countries.