Subsidiary bodies

The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,

Recalling its decision to consider, at its third meeting, the need for designating one or the other subsidiary body of the Convention to serve the Protocol, and to consider whether there is a need to establish further subsidiary bodies to enhance the implementation of the Protocol (decision BS-I/12, annex, paragraph 5 (c)),

Recalling also its decision to consider, at its third meeting, the need for designating or establishing a permanent subsidiary body that provides the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol with timely advice on scientific and technical issues arising in relation to the implementation of the Protocol (decision BS-I/11, paragraph 2),

1. Notes that there are various mechanisms by which scientific and technical advice may be provided to the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol;

2. Decides to consider, at its fourth meeting, potential mechanisms for provision of scientific and technical advice to the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol, including, inter alia, the potential designation or establishment of a permanent subsidiary body, or use of subsidiary bodies or mechanisms that may be created on an ad hoc basis, and requests the Executive Secretary to prepare a pre-sessional paper for that meeting which includes:

(a) A review of the findings of the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention, and any associated decisions by the eighth Conference of the Parties, concerning the review of the impacts and effectiveness of existing processes under the Convention;

(b) Cost estimates for various potential mechanisms for the provision of scientific and technical advice.