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U.S. Remarks on the Biosafety Protocol Convention on Biological Diversity Fifth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-5) Nairobi, Kenya, May 24, 2000

Mr. Chairman, I will begin by recalling that President Clinton signed the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1993, which was sent to the United States Senate for advice and consent. As Secretary of State Madeleine Albright noted in her public address on Earth Day just last month, the Administration remains committed to seeing the Convention ratified and is actively pursuing this goal in discussions with the Senate.

In the meantime, the United States continues to be committed to the objectives of the Convention, both at home and abroad. Each year, we spend many billions of dollars on domestic programs and activities related to conserving and sustainably using biodiversity.

We also contribute hundreds of millions of dollars every year to assist partner countries in their efforts to conserve biodiversity through bilateral assistance, through our contributions to regional and international organizations and financial institutions, and through innovative debt relief programs, as well as through a broad range of benefit sharing arrangements. We are a major contributor to the Global Environment Facility which serves as the financial mechanism for the Convention.

We are pleased negotiations on the Biosafety Protocol were successfully concluded in Montreal earlier this year and would like to see the Protocol practically and effectively implemented. We look forward to participating fully in the Intergovernmental Committee on the Cartagena Protocol (ICCP). As we have already said at this Conference, the US attaches great importance to the Committee's Work Program, which is essential to getting the Cartagena Protocol off to a good start.

The United States stands ready to engage constructively in the work of the ICCP, with a view to preparing effectively and appropriately for the first meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol. As we said in our remarks in plenary, we see two major priorities for the ICCP: (1) information sharing and the clearinghouse mechanism, and (2) capacity building. We look forward to contributing substantively to both these activities, which we consider vital to successful implementation of the Protocol.

Regarding information sharing, the United States has considerable expertise on the development and maintenance of clearing house mechanisms domestically and internationally, and we hope to contribute both technically and financially to the meeting of technical experts on the biosafety clearing house, which the Executive Secretary will convene prior to the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee. In our view, these technical experts should be nominated by governments and reflect a balance between developed and developing countries in order to bring the best and broadest possible expertise to the meeting.

We believe the biosafety clearinghouse, if well-developed, will increase general understanding and transparency with respect to biotechnology and help all countries address potential environmental risks and recognize potential benefits, as well as form a solid basis for regulation. We welcome the opportunity to share information on our experiences on the study of biotechnology plants and microorganisms and on our risk assessment procedures and findings, and to promote public understanding of this important tool.

We also believe the biosafety clearing house should be a discrete component on the CBD clearing house, rather than combined with it.

On the important subject of capacity building, we are considering various ways to cooperate with countries in their efforts to implement the Protocol, including with respect to risk assessment and management, access to the biosafety clearing house once it is established, and related institutional strengthening. We expect the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee in France later this year to give us a better understanding of country needs and priorities.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I reiterate the firm interest of the United States in contributing to the effective implementation of the Cartagena Protocol, as well as our commitment to the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

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