Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Notification: Registration for COP 17 and COP-MOP 12, 19 to 30 October 2026 - Yerevan, Armenia - https://cbd.int/notifications

Notification: Information on side-events, exhibition and pavilion spaces and country offices at COP 17 and the concurrent meetings of the Parties to the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols, 19 to 30 October 2026 – Yerevan, Armenia -https://cbd.int/doc/notifications/2026/ntf-2026-042-cop17-mop12-mop6-en.pdf

Notification extension of deadline: Submission of views on the modalities for a possible Party-driven process to further improve the effectiveness of the processes and meetings under the Convention and its Protocols -

www.cbd.int

Upcoming meeting: Meeting of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Synthetic Biology, 19–22 May 2026, in Montreal - https://cbd.int/meetings/SYN-AHTEG-2026-01

Video recording and presentations: A joint CBD/Aarhus Convention/Escazú Agreement side event, 24 April 2026

🔗 https://youtube.com/watch?v=k0UR-sDuWv4
🔗 https://bch.cbd.int/en/database/BCHN/BCH-BCHN-SCBD-293893-4

A joint CBD/Aarhus Convention/Escazú Agreement side event entitled: Support for the Implementation of the Escazu Agreement, the Aarhus Convention and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice”, took place 24 April 2026.

The side event aimed to provide an opportunity to Member States and various experts to share relevant developments under the Aarhus Convention, the Escazú Agreement and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, including good practices and lessons learnt regarding awareness raising, access to information, public participation and access to justice on biosafety-related matters.

The main speakers include: Mexico, Saint Lucia, Barnes Hill Community Development Organization, Public Research and Regulation Initiative, the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute and ECO-TIRAS

Starting now: Joint CBD/Aarhus Convention/Escazú Agreement side event, 24 April 2026, 8:00 a.m. EST (online)

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/32133218029239?p=8Xe2f1RQEk8jDole1N
Meeting ID: 321 332 180 292 39
Passcode: Ub24EE6R

The side event aims to provide an opportunity to Member States and various experts to share relevant developments under the Aarhus Convention, the Escazú Agreement and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, including good practices and lessons learnt regarding awareness raising, access to information, public participation and access to justice on biosafety-related matters.

The main speakers include:
Ms. Selene Mariana Sánchez Mendoza, the Intersecretarial Commission on Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, Mexico
Mr. Eulampius Frederick, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Sustainable Development, Saint Lucia
Ms. Ruth Spencer, Local Community Development Advisor, Barnes Hill Community Development Organization, Antigua and Barbuda
Ms. Lucia de Souza, Public Research and Regulation Initiative
Ms. Nicole Leotaud, Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI)
Mr. Ilya Trombitsky, Aarhus ECO Forum, Executive Director, ECO-TIRAS

Registration and concept note for the Joint CBD/Aarhus Convention/Escazú Agreement side event, 24 April 2026, 8:00 a.m. EST (online)

Registration:
🔗 83effe82-b448-4dfe-9037-65f64ede53a4@0f9e35db-544f-4f60-bdcc-5ea416e6dc70" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/83effe82-b448-4dfe-9037-65f64ede53a4@0f9e35db-544f-4f60-bdcc-5ea416e6dc70

Concept note and other information:
🔗 https://bch.cbd.int/en/database/BCHN/BCH-BCHN-SCBD-293893-2

The side event aims to provide an opportunity to Member States and various experts to share relevant developments under the Aarhus Convention, the Escazú Agreement and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, including good practices and lessons learnt regarding awareness raising, access to information, public participation and access to justice on biosafety-related matters.

The main speakers include:

Ms. Selene Mariana Sánchez Mendoza, the Intersecretarial Commission on Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, Mexico

Mr. Eulampius Frederick, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Sustainable Development, Saint Lucia

Ms. Ruth Spencer, Local Community Development Advisor, Barnes Hill Community Development Organization, Antigua and Barbuda

Ms. Lucia de Souza, Public Research and Regulation Initiative

Ms. Nicole Leotaud, Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI)

Mr. Ilya Trombitsky, Aarhus ECO Forum, Executive Director, ECO-TIRAS

Registration for the Joint CBD/Aarhus Convention/Escazú Agreement side event, 24 April 2026 (online)

A joint CBD/Aarhus Convention/Escazú Agreement side event entitled: Support for the Implementation of the Escazu Agreement, the Aarhus Convention and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice”, will take place 24 April 2026, 8:00 a.m.
EST/Bahamas time (online).

To register for the event, please visit: 83effe82-b448-4dfe-9037-65f64ede53a4@0f9e35db-544f-4f60-bdcc-5ea416e6dc70/registration" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/83effe82-b448-4dfe-9037-65f64ede53a4@0f9e35db-544f-4f60-bdcc-5ea416e6dc70/registration

Notification: Submissions of information on experiences and assessment of applicability of the additional voluntary guidance materials to support case-by-case risk assessment of living modified organisms containing engineered gene drives

SCBD would like to invite Parties, other Governments, indigenous peoples and local communities, women and youth organizations and relevant stakeholders that have used the additional voluntary guidance materials to submit information on their experiences and assessment of the applicability and usefulness of the materials using the template provided at:
https://bch.cbd.int/protocol/risk_assessment/template_submit_info_cp11_7_para5.docx

More information is available at: https://www.cbd.int/notifications/2026-038