The mega 19-day, global biodiversity event -- the 11{+t}{+h}Conference of Parties (COP) to Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) -- will be kick-started on Monday with the inauguration of a meeting on the implementation of Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety by Union Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan.
While 9,000 delegates from 193 countries are expected to participate in the deliberations, the five-day sixth meeting relating to Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety (COP MOP), beginning tomorrow will see the presence of around 2,000 delegates from 150 countries.
Host of issues
At COP MOP, a host of issues will be discussed and decisions adopted for ensuring the safe transfer, handling and use of Living Modified Organisms(LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology. Besides providing further guidance on operation of Bio-safety Clearing House (BCH), it will also adopt means of mobilising additional financial resources for implementation of the Protocol, a framework and action plan for capacity-building and encourage parties to expedite domestic ratification to the Supplementary Protocol on liability and redress, among others.
At COP-11 beginning October 8, delegates will review the progress of the ‘Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020’ and address ways to strengthen its implementation. Various issues including resource mobilisation, marine and coastal biodiversity, threat posed by climate change to biodiversity and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation will be deliberated.
PM’s visit
The three-day High Level Segment of COP-11 will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on October 16. Several Ministers, vice-ministers, ambassadors, senior officials of UN, multilateral agencies, private sector and civil society organisations, will participate.