28 September 2014: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has released a Fact Sheet summarizing the vision, mission and strategic objectives of the Strategic Plan 2011-2020 for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The document notes that the Strategic Plan should be interpreted in light of the Protocol’s provisions.

The vision of the Strategic Plan is to ensure that biodiversity is adequately protected from any adverse effects of living modified organisms (LMOs). The mission is to “strengthen global, regional and national action and capacity in ensuring an adequate level of protection in the field of the safe transfer, handling and use of LMOs that may have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.”

The Plan’s 23 operational objectives are aligned with five strategic objectives, namely: to put in place necessary guidance to make the Protocol fully operational; to develop Parties’ capacity for implementation; to improve the status of biodiversity; enhance benefits from ecosystem services; and enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity building.

The Strategic Plan was adopted at the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (COP-MOP 5) in 2010 in Nagoya, Japan. [Publication: Strategic Plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety]