On 16 May 2000, in Montreal, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity opens for signature — adopted on 29 January 2000 after meetings that began in Cartagena (Colombia).

The text protects biodiversity from risks of living modified organisms (LMOs) from modern biotechnology, based on the precautionary approach (Rio Principle 15). States may refuse imports if scientific evidence is insufficient and may require labelling of genetically altered commodities.

Depositary: the UN Secretary-General; languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Entry into force: 11 September 2003. By 2020: 173 parties.

The Protocol creates the Advance Informed Agreement procedure for the first intentional environmental release, a simplified regime for LMO-FFP (food/feed/processing) and the Biosafety Clearing-House for information exchange.

The WTO relationship (SPS, TBT, TRIPS) is addressed in the preamble: trade and environment agreements should be mutually supportive, without subordination.

The official text is on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) site.

The Cartagena Protocol of 16 May 2000 remains the global biosafety instrument for genetically modified organisms.

Image: Montreal; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Treaty text: Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CBD).