Antigua and Barbuda: 26^th Signatory to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

On 9 August 2011, Antigua and Barbuda became the 26th Party to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the 1^st small island developing State to sign the Nagoya - Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

H.E. John W. Ashe, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations, said: "As a signatory Antigua and Barbuda intends to cooperate with other signatory States to develop further international law regarding liability and compensation for adverse effects of environmental damage caused by activities within its jurisdiction or control. We therefore call on all Parties to the Cartagena Protocol to join us in signing and subsequently ratifying this Supplementary Protocol so that we can collectively contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, by providing international rules and procedures in the field of liability and redress relating to living modified organisms."

The Nagoya - Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol provides international rules and procedure on liability and remedy for damage to biodiversity resulting from living modified organisms (LMO). The Protocol was opened for signature on 7 March 2011 until 6 March 2012. It will be implemented 90 days after the approval of 40 Parties to the Cartagena Protocol.

Read the press release at http://www.cbd.int/doc/press/2011/pr-2011-08-10-bs-en.pdf.