A workshop was held recently to address urgent capacity-building needs relating to the Biosafety Protocol’s documentation requirements.

Convened from 1-3 November 2004, in Bonn, Germany, the workshop on “capacity building and exchange of experiences as related to the implementation of paragraph 2 of Article 18 of the Biosafety Protocol” was intended to provide an opportunity for information exchange on the understanding of documentation requirements and their appropriate implementation. The meeting also aimed to facilitate future discussions in the technical expert group on identification requirements of paragraph 2(a) of Article 18. The expert group’s discussions are scheduled for March 2005.
Participants at the workshop heard and discussed presentations on existing documentation systems and their use in implementing the identification requirements of the Biosafety Protocol with respect to certain living modified organisms (LMOs).This includes LMOs that are intended for direct use as food or feed or for processing, that are destined for contained use, or that are intended for intentional introduction into the environment. Participants also discussed national and regional experiences in implementing existing documentation systems and capacity needs of developing countries, and the use of unique identifiers in documentation accompanying LMOs.
Participants emphasized the importance of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) in implementing Protocol requirements. They also recognized the need for continuous capacity-building activities for developing countries, particularly in relation to the provision of and access to information in the BCH, scientific and technical capacities for testing and detection of LMOs, and handling and understanding the information provided on the documentation. The workshop report.