Cartagena
Protocol
Report Of The Third Meeting Of The Conference Of The
Parties To The Convention On Biological Diversity
Serving As The Meeting Of The Parties To The Cartagena
Protocol On Biosafety
An
Explanatory Guide to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is one of the
most important international treaties recently adopted.
It marks the commitment of the international community
to ensure the safe transfer, handling and use of living
modified organisms. It is an historic commitment as
it is the first binding international agreement dealing
with biosafety, thereby addressing novel and controversial
issues.
To conclude the negotiation
of a treaty marks an end, but also a beginning: the
beginning of an implementation process which will
determine whether the results of the negotiation will,
in reality, achieve the objective which originally
set the negotiation process in motion. One prerequisite
for the successful implementation of a treaty is an
understanding of the text itself, and of its implications.
In this regard, the Cartagena Protocol is a text that
may well not be readily accessible to all those who
will need to become involved, in one way or the other,
with its implementation. We hope that this Explanatory
Guide will both make the Protocol more readily accessible
and prove useful as a reference work for those who
are involved
in its implementation.
IUCN and FIELD are
pleased to present the results of a two year process
of cooperation and consultation, during which they
were joined by WRI. The partnership forged during
the preparation of the Guide has been fruitful, constructive,
and harmonious. We therefore look forward to continuing
our joint efforts in this and related fields, and
express our gratitude to those who made this collaboration
possible. |
