City gears up for intl conferences

The city is set to host United Nations conference on biodiversity beginning with meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP MOP 6) followed by 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 11) from Monday.

While COP MOP 6, a five-day meet will conclude on October 5, the COP 11 will be held between October 8 and 19 and is expected to see participation of delegates and heads of some countries, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Around 2,000 delegates from more than 150 countries will participate in the COP MOP 6, which will discuss and adopt further decisions to contribute to ensuring the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology. It is expected that the 'Cities for Life' Summit, a parallel program during the summit will bring together approximately 300 mayors, governors, high-ranking officials and their representative networks, as well as national governments, international organisations, UN agencies and specialists from across the world. COP MOP 6 will include decisions to advance the implementation of the 10-year Strategic Plan for the Protocol adopted in 2010 and the entry into force of the NagoyaKuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Protocol. The Cartagena Protocol Biosafety was adopted on 29 January 2000 and entered into force on 11 September 2003. At the COP MOP 6, delegates are expected to discuss issues related to capacity-building, the Biosafety Clearing-House, the financial mechanism and resources for the Protocol's implementation, risk assessment and risk management, socio-economic considerations concerning LMOs, compliance with the Protocols provisions as well as assessment and review of the effectiveness of the Protocol.

-PTI