Latvia becomes the first country to ratify the Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress

Montreal, 7 December 2011 – On 30 November 2011, Latvia became the first country to ratify the Nagoya - Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The first ratification comes just over a year after the Supplementary Protocol was adopted at a historic biodiversity summit held in October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan.

The Supplementary Protocol aims at contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity by providing international rules and procedures for liability and redress in the event of damage resulting from living modified organisms (LMOs). It will enter into force 90 days after the deposit of the fortieth instrument of ratification. It currently has 36 signatories.

Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary to the Convention on Biological Diversity said: “I congratulate Latvia for becoming the first country to ratify the Supplementary Protocol. This demonstrates the commitment and support of the Government of Latvia to the global efforts towards securing a sustainable future for generations to come. I urge all Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to expedite the ratification process so that this international treaty could enter into force before the sixth meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol in Hyderabad, India, next year.”

After the entry into force of the Supplementary Protocol, Parties will have an obligation to provide, in new or existing domestic law, for rules and procedures that address damage resulting from LMOs, including response measures to prevent or mitigate damage or to restore biodiversity.

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity continues to organize regional workshops to promote the signing and ratification of the Supplementary Protocol, with the financial support of the Government of Japan. The reports and materials of the workshops, including a video presentation on the Supplementary Protocol, are available on the Cartagena Protocol website at http://bch.cbd.int/protocol/supplementary/NKL_workshops.shtml.