Matters related to the financial mechanism and resources
The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting
of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,
Recalling
paragraph 2 (a) of decision III/5, paragraph 1 of decision V/13, paragraph
10 (b) of decision VI/17 and paragraphs 21-26 of decision VII/20,
in which the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
provided guidance to the financial mechanism in respect of capacity-building
in biosafety,
Also
recalling
decision III/8 of the Conference of the Parties, concerning the Memorandum
of Understanding between the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on
Biological Diversity and the Council of the Global Environment Facility,
Having considered the note by the Executive Secretary
on matters related to the financial mechanism and resources (UNEP/CBD/BS/COP-MOP/2/5),
Welcoming the statement made by the representative
of the Global Environment Facility providing updates on its activities in
response to biosafety-related guidance from the Conference of the Parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity,
Noting with appreciation the letter jointly signed
by the Chief Executive Officer/Chairman of the Global Environment Facility
and the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity clarifying
the procedures to be followed in the implementation of the eligibility criteria
for the Parties to the Convention that are not yet Parties to the Protocol,
Taking note of
the ongoing evaluation
of the activities financed under the initial strategy approved by the Council
for assisting countries to prepare for the entry into force of the Cartagena
Protocol, which is being undertaken by the Office of Monitoring and Evaluation
of the Global Environment Facility and which is expected to be completed in
time for submission to the meeting of the Council of the Global Environment
Facility in November 2005,
1. Encourages all donors and their agencies
as well as the Global Environment Facility to simplify, to the extent possible,
their project cycle requirements in order to expedite access, by developing
country Parties, in particular the least developed and the small island developing
States among them, and the Parties with economies in transition, to the financial
resources needed to assist the implementation of the Protocol;
2. Welcomes the continuing efforts of the
Global Environment Facility to expand its support for the national components
of the Biosafety Clearing-House as well as for development and implementation
of the national biosafety frameworks, taking into account lessons learned
and experience gained from its initial biosafety strategy;
3 Invites the Office of Monitoring and Evaluation of the Global Environment
Facility to make its biosafety-related review reports available to the
Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity prior
to the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the meeting of the Parties
to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety;
4. Invites countries that have received
funding from the Global Environment Facility for activities referred to in
paragraph 21 (b) of decision VII/20 to report to the Executive Secretary
of the Convention on actions being taken towards becoming Parties to the Protocol,
and requests the Executive Secretary to compile the national reports
that he receives and distribute the compiled reports to the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity and to the Council of the Global Environment
Facility for information;
5. Encourages the Global Environment Facility
and the Executive Secretary of the Convention to continue their strong collaboration
in advancing support to the implementation of the Protocol;
6. Also encourages the Global Environment
Facility to further develop its funding modalities for organizing its support
to the Protocol in a systematic and flexible manner;
7. Requests the Executive Secretary, in
collaboration with the Global Environment Facility and with the Coordination
Mechanism for the implementation of the Action Plan for Building Capacities
for the Effective Implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, to
assess status of funding and promote coordination, coherence and synergies
in financing for biosafety activities among donors and their agencies in order
to facilitate the avoidance of duplication of work, identify gaps in funding
activities and possible options to address them;
8. Invites the Executive Secretary to cooperate,
upon request and subject to availability of financial resources, with relevant
stakeholders in providing advice, know-how and expertise in respect of development
and implementation as well as oversight and evaluation of biosafety-project
activities.
