At its
fifth meeting, the COP-MOP, in
decision BS-V/16, adopted the Strategic Plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety covering the period 2011 to 2020. The Strategic Plan comprises a vision, a mission statement and five strategic objectives. For each strategic objective a number of operational objectives, expected outcomes and indicators are outlined. The focal areas underlying the five strategic objectives are as follows:
- Facilitating the establishment and further development of systems for the implementation of the Protocol;
- Capacity-building;
- Compliance and review;
- Information sharing; and
- Outreach and cooperation.
Background
Since the first meeting of the Parties and until 2010, significant achievements were made towards the implementation of the Protocol. The number of Parties increased by more than 100 since the entry into force of the Protocol. Many decisions were adopted to facilitate the implementation of the Protocol and the Biosafety Clearing House became fully operational. More than 100 countries received, through the implementing agencies of the Global Environment Facility, capacity-building assistance in support of their efforts to develop and implement their national biosafety legal and administrative frameworks. The number of bilateral, sub-regional and regional cooperative arrangements to support biosafety capacity building activities also increased.
The medium-term programme of work of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol was instrumental in guiding the implementation of the Protocol. T
A process was established to undertake an assessment and review of the effectiveness of the Protocol in accordance with Article 35 of the Protocol. The initiation of the assessment and review process on the one hand, and the completion of the medium term programme of work on the other, presented an opportunity for Parties to consider developing a long term vision for the Protocol in the form of a strategic plan and a corresponding multi-year programme of work. This also coincided with the ongoing process to revise and update the Strategic Plan of the Convention in light of the resolve for action beyond the 2010 biodiversity target.
Significant challenges remained as regards the implementation of the Protocol. The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol still needed to provide additional guidance and clarify procedures and processes in a number of areas, such as the application of the advance informed agreement procedure, compliance (Article 34), liability and redress (Article 27), risk assessment and risk management (Articles 15 and 16), handling, transport, packaging and identification (Article 18) and capacity-building (Article 22). One of the major prerequisites of successful implementation of planned activities is the provision of sufficient financial resources including alternative mechanisms for funding and technical support especially for developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
At its fifth meeting, in
decision BS-V/16, the COP-MOP adopted the Strategic Plan and the multi-year programme of work, on the basis of the submissions from Parties, the analysis of the first national reports, the successive decisions taken by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol at its last four meetings, and through general discussions and comments received from Parties, other Governments and stakeholders. The Strategic Plan also took into account the experience gained through the development, implementation and revision of the Strategic Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
See relevant documents on the Strategic Plan
Mid-term evaluation of the Strategic Plan
In its
decision BS-V/16, the COP-MOP decided to conduct the mid-term evaluation of the Strategic Plan five years after its adoption in conjunction with the
third assessment and review conducted at the eighth meeting of the Parties. Information on this process is available
here.
Final evaluation of the Strategic Plan
In its
decision CP-9/6, the COP-MOP decided that the
fourth assessment and review of the Cartagena Protocol would be combined with the final evaluation of the Strategic Plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety for the period 2011-2020. Information on this process is available
here.
Go to the Strategic Plan
