The Guide provides a quick reference to the nature, role and operational procedures of the Biosafety Roster of Experts and the Voluntary Fund for the roster.
16 February 2011: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has published a Guide to the Roster of Biosafety Experts under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The guide provides a quick reference to the nature, role and operational procedures of the roster and the Voluntary Fund for the roster.
The guide addresses, among other issues: the minimum requirements for an expert to be nominated to the roster; the process for nomination; the procedures for searching and engaging experts from the roster; and the responsibilities of the experts, nominating governments and the Secretariat. Regarding the Voluntary Fund, the guide describes the eligibility criteria for support, the funding application and approval process and the timelines for processing requests and for reporting under grants received.
The Roster of Biosafety Experts was established at the adoption of the Biosafety Protocol during the first Extraordinary Session of the CBD Conference of the Parties (COP) in 2000. Its mandate is to provide advice and support to developing country Parties on specific tasks required for the implementation of the Protocol, such as conducting risk assessments, developing human resources and strengthening institutions. The roster is administered by the CBD Secretariat and can be accessed via the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) website. [Publication: Guide to the Roster of Biosafety Experts] [The Roster]