Parties, governments and other relevant organizations are requested to nominate participants for online discussion groups on socio-economic considerations and to submit relevant information by 28 February 2011.
24 January 2011: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has circulated a notification on cooperation to identify capacity-building needs for research and information exchange on socio-economic considerations with regard to living modified organisms (LMOs).
The submission requests CBD Parties to nominate, by 28 February 2011, representatives to participate in regional online conferences on socio-economic considerations through the Biosafety Clearing House (BCH). Parties also are asked to provide, through the BCH, relevant information on socio-economic considerations, including guidance material and case studies on issues such as institutional arrangements and best practices.
The Annex to the notification contains a timeline for implementation of activities on socio-economic considerations. Additional items on the timeline include: deadline for submission of capacity-building needs and priorities regarding socio-economic considerations (15 April 2011); online discussion groups (March to May 2011); online regional conferences (June 2011, tentative); and a workshop on capacity-building for research and information exchange on socio-economic impacts of LMOs (November 2011, tentative). [The Notification]