BS-IV/5. Financial mechanism and resources

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

Recalling its decisions BS-II/5 and BS-III/5,

Taking note of the pre-session document prepared by the Executive Secretary on matters related to the financial mechanism and resources (UNEP/CBD/BS/COP-MOP/4/5),

Recognizing that the Council of the Global Environment Facility has commissioned an independent mid-term review of the Resource Allocation Framework to be undertaken by the Global Environment Evaluation Office for consideration at its meeting in November 2008,

Regretting that the Resource Allocation Framework of the Global Environment Facility review team did not consult the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol,

Emphasizing the need for ensuring the sustainability of capacity-building activities funded by the Global Environment Facility,

1. Welcomes the successful fourth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund and expresses its appreciation to the countries that contributed to the Trust Fund;

2. Welcomes also the new Global Environment Facility Strategy for Financing Biosafety Activities (GEF/C.30/8/Rev.1) adopted as part of the Biodiversity Focal Area Strategy and Strategic Programming for GEF-4 (2007–2010) and the Program Document for Global Environment Facility Support to Biosafety;

3. Takes note of the measures undertaken by the Global Environment Facility to streamline the project cycle and to provide guidance on the implementation procedures for the Resource Allocation Framework (RAF);

4. Recommends to the Conference of the Parties, when adopting its multi-year guidance to the Global Environment Facility coinciding with its fifth replenishment, to incorporate the following guidance with respect to the support for the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety:

(a) Requests the Global Environment Facility Evaluation Office to assess the impact of the Resource Allocation Framework on the implementation of the Protocol, and propose measures that can minimize potential resource limitations that may affect the implementation of the Protocol including measures that facilitate consideration of regional and subregional projects developed by the countries of the region;

(b) Urges the Global Environment Facility to make financial resources available with a view to enable eligible Parties to prepare their national report;

(c) Urges the Global Environment Facility to extend the UNEP-GEF Biosafety Clearing House project, in its current form as a global project with a view to ensuring sustainability of national nodes for the Biosafety Clearing-House and providing more capacity-building support, with special attention to targeted stakeholders (e.g., customs departments and phytosanitary inspectors), and to provide additional funding for these activities from sources other than the Resource Allocation Framework (RAF) taking into consideration the global nature of the project;

(d) Invites the Global Environment Facility, at the request of developing countries Governments, to provide financial and other support to enable universities and relevant institutions to develop and/or expand existing biosafety academic programmes and provide scholarships to students from developing country Parties, in particular the least developed and small island developing States among them, and countries with economies in transition;

(e) Requests the Global Environment Facility, to cooperate with and support developing country Parties, in particular the least developed and small island developing States among them, and Parties with economies in transition, in their efforts to build their capacities in the area of sampling and detection of living modified organisms, including the setting up of laboratory facilities and training of local regulatory and scientific personnel;

(f) Requests the Global Environment Facility to consider the following programme funding priority needs for biosafety during the period of its fifth replenishment (2010-2014), where appropriate, using the issue-specific approach and providing longer term support for building, consolidating and enhancing sustainable human resource capacity:

(i) Implementation of legal and administrative systems for notification procedures;

(ii) Risk assessment and risk management;

(iii) Implementation of enforcement measures including detection of living modified organisms;

(iv) Implementation of liability and redress measures.