UNEP/GEF Capacity Building for the Implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) have a proven track record in responding to international requests for assistance in the field of biosafety. The CBD has designated the GEF as its overall financial mechanism, as well as the financial mechanism of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Meanwhile, UNEP, as one of the Implementing Agencies of the GEF, has taken an active role in Biosafety capacity-building since the beginning of the 1990s. This includes its participation in the conception of the UNIDO/UNEP/WHO/FAO ad hoc Working Group on Biosafety in 1990 and aseries of consultative processes culminating in the finalisation of the UNEP International Technical Guidelines for Safety in Biotechnology in 1995. The document highlights the different project interventions designed and implemented by UNEP/GEF in partnership with Parties to support the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety