1 August 2011: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is inviting Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to nominate national and international reference laboratories to provide identification of living modified organisms (LMOs).

The call for nominations follows a decision by the fifth Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol (COP-MOP 5), to establish through the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) a network of reference laboratories to facilitate the identification of LMOs. The notification invites Parties, other governments and relevant organizations to nominate laboratories through the BCH, or update the records of laboratories already registered under the BCH.

In addition, according to the COP-MOP 5 decision, the network of laboratories also should facilitate the sharing of information and experience, and the sixth meeting of the Informal Advisory BCH Advisory Committee recommended exploring the facilitation of interaction among detection laboratories through, for example, an online forum. The notification, therefore, announces a series of online discussion groups to enable laboratories in the electronic network to share information and experience. In order to participate in the online discussion groups, Parties, other governments and relevant organizations are asked to submit their nominations and suggestions for discussion topics by 30 September 2011. [CBD Notification]