Capacity-building (roster of experts)
The Conference of the Parties serving as
the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,
Recalling its
decision BS-I/4 on the roster of experts on biosafety,
Reiterating the importance of the roster of experts in assisting developing country
Parties, in particular the least developed and small island developing States
among them, as well as Parties with economies in transition, to conduct risk
assessment, make informed decisions, develop national human resources and
promote institutional strengthening, associated with the transboundary movements
of living modified organisms,
Reaffirming the need to ensure the regional and gender balance on the roster of
experts,
Noting
with concern the limited use to date of the roster of experts and of
the Voluntary Fund for the Roster of Experts,
1. Reiterates its call to Parties and Governments to:
(a) Submit nominations of experts
to the Secretariat in accordance with the Interim Guidelines for the roster
of experts on Biosafety, using the nomination form available through the Biosafety
Clearing-House or from the Secretariat;
(b) Update, or request their nominated
experts to update, the information currently contained in the roster, for
each field of the nomination form, with a view to providing sufficient detail
to discern the particular areas of knowledge and specialization for each expert;
and
(c) Use the roster of biosafety experts in accordance with the Interim Guidelines for the Roster of Experts on Biosafety;
2. Reminds Parties and
Governments to submit to the Executive Secretary reports on the assistance
or advice provided by the experts in accordance with section J of the Interim
Guidelines, with a view to contributing to the review of the roster that will
be undertaken two years after the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties
serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol;
3. Reiterates its invitation
to Governments and other donors to make contributions to the pilot phase of
the Voluntary Fund for the Roster of Experts;
4. Requests the Executive Secretary to promote awareness about the roster of experts
and publicize the available funding from the pilot phase of the Voluntary
Fund for the Roster of Experts;
5. Requests
also the Executive Secretary to include in the questionnaire
for collecting information to facilitate the review of the Action Plan, referred
to in paragraph 26 of decision BS-II/3, on the status of capacity-building
activities, questions to assess the possible reasons behind the limited use
of the roster of biosafety experts to facilitate the review of the roster
in accordance with decision BS-1/4, annex I, section K.
