This Search Engine allows users to perform a search for any of the following CBD decisions and recommendations:

• decisions made by the Conference of the Parties (COP)
• decisions made by the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP)
• recommendations made by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA)
• recommendations made by the Intergovernmental Committee on the Cartagena Protocol (ICCP)

The criteria which may be used for searches include: controlled subject search (Subject or programme area), keywords (Keyword) or words found in the title of a decision/recommendation (Title contains). It is possible to search any combination of COP/SBSTTA/ICCP meetings, including multiple or single meetings within and between groups (Use <CtrlClick+> to make a multiple selection).

A Subject or programme area search should be used to retrieve decisions or recommendations pertaining to a specific topic, drawn from the list of CBD Programmes and themes. For example, using Invasive Alien Species as the Subject or programme area search term will retrieve all decisions/recommendations on that topic only.

A Keyword search should be used to conduct a search of the full text of a decision or recommendation. For example, searching the keyword alien will search for and highlight every occurrence of that keyword throughout the decisions or recommendations of CBD bodies.

A Title Contains search should be used to retrieve decisions or recommendations containing a specific word in the title. For example, searching Title Contains with the word alien will retrieve those recommendations that contain alien in the title but not any and all reference to alien in the body of the text.

Searches will be conducted for those COP, SBSTTA, or ICCP meetings selected. For example, selecting none under SBSTTA Meetings, all under COP Meetings and ICCP 3 under ICCP Meetings, will retrieve results from all the meetings of the COP and the Third meeting of the ICCP, but will not retrieve any results from SBSTTA meetings.

Users can choose two options to Group results of the search: either by the Meeting date for the adoption of the decisions or recommendations (in descending order, from most recent date), or by Meeting Group (beginning with COP decisions, proceeding to SBSTTA and then ICCP recommendations).