BS-IV/14. Monitoring and reporting under the Protocol

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

Taking note of the first national reports submitted by Parties and welcoming the analysis thereof prepared by the Secretariat,

Concerned with the low number of first national reports that have been submitted,

Welcoming the submission of national reports by non-Parties to the Protocol and encouraging all other non-Parties to do the same,

Recalling decision BS-III/14 regarding the need for financial support to facilitate the preparation of national reports,

Taking into account the recommendation of the Compliance Committee,

1. Reminds each Party of its obligation to submit national reports in accordance with Article 33 of the Protocol;

2. Urges Parties to observe relevant decisions on reporting, especially with regards to timeframes for the submission of national reports

3. Reminds Parties that not submitting a national report within the deadline does not absolve them from fulfilling their obligation for that reporting period and requests Parties that have not yet done so to submit, without further delay, to the Executive Secretary, their first regular national reports, covering the period between the entry into force of the Protocol for each Party and the reporting date;

4. Requests the Executive Secretary to repeat the analysis of the first national reports submitted after the deadline within three months after the meeting of the Parties and make the analysis available through the Biosafety Clearing-House;

5. Also requests the Executive Secretary to propose improvements to the reporting format based on experiences gained through the analysis of the first national reports, the recommendations of the Compliance Committee and suggestions made by Parties, for consideration at the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol;

6. Urges the Global Environment Facility to make financial resources available with a view to enable eligible Parties to prepare their national report.