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Welcome to the Norwegian Biosafety Clearing House mechanism under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.

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News

March 2011

Follow the online discussion forum on socio-economic considerations of GMOs

Article 26 of the Cartagena Protocol states that Parties may take socio-economic considerations into account in their national decisions on GMOs. The need for guidelines on this issue has been stated by several Parties and in the decisions from the Nagoya Meeting of Parties a process was outlined. The first step was to organize an online discussion forum which has now been initiated. The participants in the forum are nominated but the public has full access to the discussions. To follow the discussions please look here

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February 2011

New international treaty on living modified organisms

Of the results from the fifth meeting of parties the adoption of the new Nagoya - Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress was by far the most important. The new supplementary Protocol provides international rules and procedure on liability and redress for damage to biodiversity resulting from living modified organisms (LMO). The fulltext version of the supplementary Protocol may be found here

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February 2011

The final report from the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 5)

COP-MOP 5 was held in Nagoya, Japan 11-15 October, 2011. The results from the meeting can be found in the final report

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March 2008

The fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 4) will be held in Bonn, Germany, from 12 to 16 May 2008.

Agenda, documents etc can be downloaded from the dedicated website of the meeting.

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6 February 2008

Biosafety course

The Norwegian Insitute of Gene Ecology is now accepting applications for the annual summer course in biosafety: Holistic Foundations for Assessment and Regulation of Genetic Engineering and Genetically Modified Organisms

Date: 28 July – 08 August 2008

Venue: Science Park/University of Tromsø, Norway

More information

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25 January 2008

Biosafety Protocol News

Third issue of Biosafety Protocol News can be downloaded here

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23 October 2007

Report from the Canada Norway Expert Workshop on Risk Assessment for Emerging Applications of Living Modified Organisms

The Third Meeting of Parties of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety considered the issue of additional guidance on risk assessment. Based on the Report of the ad hoc Technical Expert Meeting on risk assessment held in Rome 2005, the meeting decided that at this time the priority issue for the Meeting of Parties was provision of training and implementation of the risk assessment/risk management provision of the Protocol on a general basis. The decision did however identify that there are potential gaps in the guidance for risk assessment for emerging applications of modern biotechnology, namely in trees, fish, veterinary applications and specific plant varieties. The issue of additional guidance will be addressed at the Fourth Meeting of Parties in 2008.

Norway, supported by Canada, offered to host a workshop on risk assessment for emerging applications of modern biotechnology, with the objective of the provision of information to assist the discussion on risk assessment and risk management at the Fourth Meeting of Parties.

The workshop took place in Montreal June 4-6 2007, and addressed available guidance on risk assessment for emerging applications of modern biotechnology, identification of gaps in information or science that could impact on appropriate risk assessments and appropriateness of current models for risk assessment applied to emerging applications. Although the Protocol addresses risk assessments for contained use and environmental release, the discussion was focussed on risk assessments for environmental release and for field trials as a priority.

Download the Report (pdf)

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1 September 2007

The Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology (GenØk) presents new book on Biosafety

Scientific Director Terje Traavik (GenØk)and Lim Li Ching from Third World Network are editors for the book "Biosafety First - Holistic Approaches to Risk and Uncertainty in Genetic Engineering and Genetically Modified Organisms"

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30 June 2007

Biosafety Protocol News

Second issue of Biosafety Protocol News can be downloaded here

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25 October 2006

Biosafety Protocol News

First issue of Biosafety Protocol News can be downloaded here

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31 August 2006

Regulations concerning import of long-grain rice from the US

Following the detection of unauthorised rice, codenamed LLRICE601, in shipments of long-grain rice from , Norway has issued new regulations demanding certificat onf analysis for shipments of long-grain rice fram the US. Further information available in Norwegian Les mer på here.

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The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) under the Convention on Biological Diversity, will at its 13th meeting consider and assess the potential environmental, cultural and socio-economic impactas of genetically modified trees on the conservation and sustainable use of forest biological diversity.

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