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Second Meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety 

30 May - 3 June 2005, Montreal, Canada 

 

 


 

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Highlights for Friday, 3 June 2005 


Delegates to the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP/MOP-2) convened in the morning in a session of Working Group I (WG-I) and made comments on the conference room paper (CRP) on handling, transport, packaging and identification. SWITZERLAND presented a non-paper containing new proposals on LMO-FFPs,
including a reference deciding to further consider the issue at COP/MOP-3. Delegates asked for time asked for time to consider the Swiss proposal, and consult their positions. On Friday afternoon, COP/MOP-2 President Sothinathan Sinna Goundar, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Malaysia, convened the closing plenary session. 

Above photo: African delegates in consultation during a break in WG-I

 


WORKING GROUP I


Above photos: Participants from various NGOs expressed deep concern about Brazil and New Zealand positions in the COP/MOP-2 negotiations.

 


WG-I Chair Birthe Ivars (Norway) opened the meeting and called for comments on the conference room paper (CRP) on handling, transport, packaging and identification. 


Contact group Co-Chair Nematollah Khansari (Iran) reported on the contact group work. He said that delegates worked until 3:00 a.m. to remove brackets without success. 

 

 


NEW ZEALAND opposed language noting that thresholds for the adventitious or technically unavoidable presence of LMOs may be adopted on a national basis, and proposed a new preambular paragraph to note that the adventitious or technically unavoidable presence of living modified organisms (LMOs) does not trigger documentation and identification requirements under Article 18.2(a) (documentation for LMOs for food, feed or processing (LMO-FFPs)). IRAN, ZAMBIA and CAMEROON opposed the proposal by New Zealand. 

Above photo: Jane Coombs (New Zealand)


BRAZIL proposed to bracket agreed text on the possibility to use a stand-alone document. He also proposed new text according to which: in cases where the shipment is known to intentionally contain LMO-FFPs, and it is not a commodity, clearly states that the shipment contains LMOs; and clearly states, when the shipment contains a mixture of LMO-FFPs or a mixture of LMO-FFPs and known LMOs, that the shipment may contain LMOs that are approved in the State of origin. 

Above photo: Hadil Fontes Da Rocha Vianna (Brazil)

 

 


The AFRICAN GROUP, INDIA, BRAZIL, NEW ZEALAND, asked for time to consider the Swiss proposal, and consult their positions. Above photo: Delegates from the Asia and the Pacific Group in consultation to consider the Swiss proposal. 

Above photo: Delegates from the Asia and the Pacific Group in consultation to consider the Swiss proposal.


SWITZERLAND presented a non-paper containing a new proposal on documentation of LMO-FFPs, including a reference deciding to further consider the issue at COP/MOP-3. He stressed that the text is based on the previous CRP, but contains language form the Protocol and Decision BS-I/6 on key points, and includes a carefully balanced account of proposals brought forward during contact group negotiations. He urged Parties to adopt the paper as a package without amendments. 

Above photo: François Pythoud (Switzerland)

 

CLOSING PLENARY:

 

 

 

On Friday afternoon, COP/MOP-2 President Sothinathan Sinna Goundar, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Malaysia, convened the closing plenary session. Bureau member Ronald Devlin (Ireland) presented the report on credentials, noting that 38 delegations whose credentials were not in order have signed a declaration to submit their credentials within 30 days.

Above photos L-R: COP/MOP-2 President Sothinathan Sinna Goundar; COP/MOP-2 closing dais with Charles Gbedemah (UNEP), CBD Executive Secretary Hamdallah Zedan, COP/MOP-2 President Sothinathan Sinna Goundar and Cyrie Sendashonga (CBD)

 


Under other matters, Ethiopia drew attention to a meeting held with the Canadian delegation and officials responsible for visa matters, who promised that delays and denials of visas for delegates will not be repeated, and suggested the issue be closed for the moment.

On the date and venue of COP/MOP-3, the Secretariat said it will take place in March 2006, in Curitiba, Brazil. Brazil invited all participants to attend CBD COP-8 and COP/MOP-3 in Curitiba, the “ecological capital of Brazil.”  Above photo (right): Bernardo Velloso (Brazil)

Rapporteur Sem Shikongo (Namibia) (above left) presented the report of the meeting (UNEP/CBD/BS/COP-MOP/2/L.1), which was adopted without amendment. 

 


Tewolde Egzhiaber (Ethiopia)(right), on behalf of the African Group, Yvo de Boer (the Netherlands) (left), on behalf of the EU and Bulgaria, India, on behalf of the Asia and Pacific Group, and Norway expressed distress because of the failure to reach agreement on documentation for LMO-FFPs. The African Group urged developing country delegates to build national legislation to address genetic pollution, noting the majority of developed countries protect themselves through national legislation. Syria expressed optimism, and Kenya hope, to reach a solution at COP/MOP-3. The EU stressed the meeting failed to meet a commitment made during the Protocol adoption and also regretted bracketed language regarding the voting rule under the Compliance Committee rules of procedure. The Asia and Pacific Group highlighted the burden placed on the Compliance Committee which will have to decide each time whether to meet in open or closed sessions. The EU and the Asia and Pacific Group also underlined positive developments regarding public awareness, capacity building, and risk assessment and management. The DPR Korea expressed appreciation to GEF for sustainable financial support. 

 


IDEC Brazil, on behalf of NGOs and civil society organizations, stressed the Brazilian delegation does not represent the real interests of the Brazilian people and underlined that the UNEP representative delivered a pro-industry statement. She recalled that the Protocol seeks to ensure biosafety, not promote trade. 

Above photo: Marijane Lisboa (IDEC)


Friends of the Earth International expressed disappointment because of the fact that two countries blocked decision making on documentation for LMO-FFPs, and stressed the Brazilian and New Zealand delegations lacked biosafety expertise and arguments to back their position, and served the interests of non-Parties and the biotech industry. He expressed hope that countries establish national and regional biosafety frameworks. 

Above photo: Juan Lopez Villar ( Friends of the Earth International)

 


COP/MOP-2 President Goundar (right) highlighted progress but noted that important business is left unfinished. Executive Secretary Zedan (left) expressed appreciation to countries contributing for the participation of developing countries and countries with economies in transition, and stressed that the lack of consensus on documentation for LMO-FFPs should not overshadow positive achievements.

COP/MOP-2 President Goundar introduced a draft decision on documentation requirements for LMO-FFPs submitted by WG-I Chair Birthe Ivars (Norway) for adoption by the plenary. BRAZIL and NEW ZEALAND formally objected the adoption of the draft decision. COP/MOP-2 adopted the report of the meeting, including a reference reflecting that no decision on documentation requirements for LMO-FFPs was adopted due to lack of consensus.

 


 Above photo: COP/MOP-2 President Goundar gaveled the meeting to a close at 6:20 pm.

 

ENB SNAPSHOTS:

 

 

 

 


Above photos: NGOs in protest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This service was prepared in cooperation with the CBD Secretariat