The Aarhus Convention’s GMO Amendment
Through decision II/1 adopted at its second session (Almaty, 25-27 May 2005), the Meeting of the Parties adopted an amendment to the Convention on genetically modified organisms. For the text of the amendment see here. The amendment will enter into force when it has been ratified by at least three fourth of the Parties that were party to the Convention at the time the amendment was adopted. That is, it must be ratified by 27 of the 35 Parties that were party to the Convention at the time the amendment was adopted. As of today, the amendment has been ratified by 32 Parties, 26 of which were party to the Convention at the time the amendment was adopted and thus count towards its entry into force. This means a further 1 ratification is required from those Parties who were party to the Convention at the time the amendment was adopted in order for the amendment to enter into force. The following Parties were party to the Convention at the time the amendment was adopted but are yet to ratify the amendment: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.
Upon its entry into force, the GMO amendment will apply to all those Parties which have by that time become party to it. To see whether a particular country has ratified or acceded to the amendment, see here.
Lucca Guidelines on GMOs
At its first session (Lucca, 21-23 October 2002), the Meeting of the Parties adopted guidelines on access to information, public participation and access to justice with respect to genetically modified organisms. The guidelines are often referred to as the "Lucca Guidelines" (see ENG FRE RUS).
Collaboration with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
In decision II/1 adopting the GMO amendment, the Parties to the Aarhus Convention recognised the need to cooperate with other international organizations and forums, in particular the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), with a view to maximizing synergy and avoiding duplication of effort, including through encouraging the exchange of information and collaboration between the respective secretariats. Pursuant to this, the Aarhus Convention and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety secretariats have established a strong collaborative relationship, undertaking a number of successful joint activities at the international level. To strengthen capacities of Governments and stakeholders in providing effective access to information and public participation in decision-making processes regarding LMOs/GMOs the two secretariats also developed a number of guiding material.
Key guidance and other material related to GMO/LMO matters is available through this web page.
Recent events on GMOs
In keeping with the above, the Aarhus Convention has undertaken a number of joint activities with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety addressing access to information, public participation and access to justice with respect to GMOs.
The two secretariats jointly organized recently in Geneva the fourth Global Round Table on LMOs/GMOs on 11-12 December 2023
The previous global round tables on LMOs/GMOs were held in Geneva on 16-18 December 2019, 15-17 November 2016 and on 16 and 17 October 2013. The roundtables featured 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
- Challenges encountered in the implementation of the Aarhus Convention and its Almaty Amendment on GMOs, 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 outcomes of the roundtables are being submitted to the Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention and to the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The outcomes are expected to facilitate the ratification and implementation of the Aarhus Convention in the context of LMOs/GMOs, its Almaty Amendment on GMOs and the implementation of Article 23 of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety as well as Targets 17 and 22 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), in the context of LMOs/GMOs, thereby also contributing to the achievement of relevant Sustainable Development Goals.
The previous events included the organization of two joint workshops:
Former bodies
Prior to its adoption at the second session of the Meeting of the Parties, the draft GMO amendment was prepared by a Working Group on GMOs, led by Austria. For more about the former Working Group on GMOs, see here.
Key guidance material
Key guidance and other material related to GMO/LMO matters is available through this web page.