The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP/MOP-2) will be held from 30 May – 3 June 2005, in Montreal, Canada. It will immediately follow the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group of Legal and Technical Experts on Liability and Redress in the context of the Protocol.

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was adopted by the CBD COP on 29 January 2000 and entered into force on 11 September 2003. With 119 Parties to date, the Protocol addresses the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) that may have an adverse effect on biodiversity, taking into account human health, with a specific focus on transboundary movements. It establishes an advance informed agreement (AIA) procedure for imports of LMOs for intentional introduction into the environment, and also incorporates a precautionary approach, and mechanisms for risk assessment and risk management. It further establishes a Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) to facilitate information exchange, and contains provisions on capacity building and financial resources, with special attention to developing countries and those with domestic regulatory systems.