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BIOSAFETY:

Although the issue of biosafety has been the subject of numerous consultations since the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity, there is still no agreement on the need for a protocol on biosafety or the way this issue should be addressed by the COP. As a result of continued disagreement on these issues, the recommendations of the ICCBD to the COP are not particularly straightforward. For example, the recommendations of a small drafting group on this issue read as follows: "A significant number of representatives expressed support for immediate work on a protocol, while others expressed support for the Conference of the Parties establishing a step-by-step process to consider the need for, and modalities of, a protocol." The fact that the negotiation of this sentence took longer than the discussions on biosafety is a poor reflection of the process of UN negotiations. The only area where there was general agreement was that the Committee should recommend that the issue of biosafety should be on the agenda of the first meeting of the COP.