ENB @ COP/MOP-3; 13-17 March 2006; Curitiba, Brazil; Highlights for Monday, 13 March 2006

	English			French			Spanish
Archives	HTM	PDF	TXT	HTM	PDF	TXT	HTM	PDF	TXT
Curtain Raiser
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15
Thu 16
Fri 17 & Summary

Daily web coverage:
Curtain Raiser - 13 March - 14 March
15 March -16 March - 17 March

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

13-17 March 2006| Curitiba, Brazil

Highlights for Monday, 13 March 2006

The third 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-3) opened in Curitiba, Brazil, on Monday 13 March. In the morning, delegates heard opening statements and the Compliance Committee's report, and addressed organizational issues. Two working groups convened in the afternoon. Working Group I considered the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) and detailed requirements on documentation and identification of living modified organisms for food, feed or processing (Article 18.2(a)). Working Group II discussed, inter alia, capacity building and evaluation of the effectiveness of the Protocol.

Above photo: The dais during the opening ceremony.

OPENING PLENARY:

Above photos L-R: Ahmed Djoghlaf, CBD Executive Secretary with Janio Pohren, President of the Brazilian Postal Service, during a launching ceremony for stamps commemorating the COP/MOP-3 and the eighth Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP-8). Carlos Alberto Richa, Mayor of Curitiba ( Brazil ), welcomed delegates to the meeting and highlighted Curitiba's commitment to environmental issues, explaining that over 4000 volunteers have been mobilized to facilitate the meetings.

Roberto Requião, Governor of the State of Paraná ( Brazil ), highlighted Paraná’s environmental initiatives, including a large-scale riverside restoration programme and strict policy against genetically modified organisms.

Fatimah Raya Nasron, COP/MOP-3 President (Malaysia), declared the meeting officially open, and welcomed the opportunity to resolve outstanding issues by adopting the detailed documentation for living modified organisms for food, feed or processing (LMO-FFPs).

Ahmed Djoghlaf, CBD Executive Secretary, recalled the history of the Protocol and invited delegates to promote a new strategic partnership among governments, civil society, women, local authorities, indigenous people, the scientific community, and the private sector.



Elizabeth Mrema, on behalf of UNEP Executive Director Klaus Töpfer, noted UNEP’s mandate to strengthen capacity building in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, and said country-driven capacity building is a crucial to ensure the Protocol’s implementation.	Cláudio Langone, on behalf of Brazil ’s Minister of the Environment, Marina da Silva, said governments are responsible for biotechnology regulation, but also need the cooperation of other actors, including scientists, citizens, NGOs and media.	Ethiopia , for AFRICA, stressed that another failure to reach a decision on detailed documentation for LMO-FFPs would “condemn the Protocol to death” and expressed trust on the willingness of the host country and others to prevent such failure. Above photo: Tewolde Berhan Egziabher (Ethiopia)



Austria, for the EUROPEAN UNION (EU), called for a decision on Article 18.2(a) and highlighted the importance of the BCH, capacity building and risk assessment and risk management. Above photo: Helmut Gaugitsch (Austria on behalf of the EU)	JAPAN emphasized the merits of the Protocol, especially the BCH, and called for extending them to all parties and to possible future parties. Above photo: Michiko Miyano (Japan)	CHINA indicated that the Protocol’s effectiveness depends on how its provisions are implemented. He highlighted the role of: liability and redress; documentation requirements for LMO-FFPs; and risk assessment and risk management. Above photo: Cheng Weixue (China)

WORKING GROUP I

BIOSAFETY CLEARING-HOUSE:

Above photo: Chair of Working Group I Birthe Ivars (Norway) with Kirsty Galloway (CBD)

MEXICO proposed including fields on the transboundary movement of LMO-FFPs in the BCH, including a reference to their unique identifier, and information on their commercial use and sale.

Above photo: Marco Antonio Meraz (Mexico)

Nigeria, for AFRICA, highlighted constraints regarding infrastructure, data collection and human resources.

Above photo: Ositadinma Anaedu (Nigeria)

WORKING GROUP II

CAPACITY BUILDING :



Above photo: Chair of Working Group II Orlando Rey Santos (Cuba)	Sam Johnston, United Nations University (UNU), highlighted the need for further support from a wide range of donors.	Jarle Harstad, GEF, presented on the GEF’s assistance for capacity building.

CONTACT GROUP:

Above photos L-R: Contact group chairs François Pythoud (Switzerland) and Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado (Brazil); view of the contact group in session.

ENB SNAPSHOTS:

Above photos: UNU-IAS held a side event as part of a consultation on its "Assessment of Ongoing Efforts to Build Capacity for Biosafety and Biotechnology". More than fifty participants from governments, donors and international organizations attended the meeting.

up to top




Please e-mail the Digital Editor if you have any questions regarding the content of this page. \| Back to Linkages home \| Visit IISDnet \| Send e-mail to ENB \| © 2006, IISD. All rights reserved.