The global roundtable on access to information, public participation and access to justice regarding living/genetically modified organisms (LMOs/GMOs) was held on 16-17 October 2013 at the Palais des Nations (Salle VIII) in Geneva, Switzerland.
The roundtable was a joint event on the Aarhus Convention and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety featuring expert presentations and sharing of experiences and lessons learned, regarding:
- Key issues of concern for Parties and stakeholders with respect to access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice regarding LMOs/GMOs
- Obstacles and challenges encountered in the implementation of the Aarhus Convention's Almaty Amendment on GMOs and the Lucca Guidelines on GMOs, and Article 23 of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety as well as good practices and innovative tools to address them
- Opportunities for cooperation and capacity building
- Priorities for future work
The roundtable coincided with the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
Its outcomes are expected to facilitate further implementation of the Aarhus Convention’s Almaty Amendment on GMOs and to contribute to the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol's programme of work on public awareness, education and participation concerning LMOs. The joint report of the roundtable will be submitted to the upcoming session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention and the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 7). Parties to both treaties will consider these outcomes for their future work on LMOs/GMOs.