<strong>Background</strong>

Liberia is a member of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The objective of the protocol is to ensure the safe handling, transport and use of living modified organisms resulting from modern Biotechnology that may have adverse effects on biological diversity (in Liberia), taking also into account human, animals and plants health.  The COP-MOP in decision <a href="https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cp-mop-09/cp-mop-09-dec-05-en.pdf">9/5</a> (para 2) welcomed the reporting format for the national report on the implementation of the Protocol proposed by the Secretariat and requested Parties to use it for the preparation of their Fifth national reports, through a consultative process involving all relevant stakeholders. It also encouraged Parties to respond to all questions in the reporting format to facilitate the establishment of baselines for subsequent assessment and review of the effectiveness of the Protocol and also facilitate the monitoring of progress towards the implementation of the objectives identified in the Strategic Plan. Parties that encounter difficulty in completing and submitting their national report on time were encouraged to seek assistance from the Secretariat or the Compliance Committee, and/or make use of the roster of biosafety experts [BS V/14 paras 4 – 7}.  Parties also requested in decision 9/5 (para 8) for GEF support to the Fifth national reporting. As a response to the request to the GEF as a funding mechanism as captured in Decision <a href="https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cp-mop-09/cp-mop-09-dec-04-en.pdf">9/4</a>, the Executive Secretary of the SCBD released a notification on support for the Fifth national reporting to the CBD Focal Points and National Focal Points for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. According to decision <a href="https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cp-mop-09/cp-mop-09-dec-05-en.pdf">9/5</a>, The Fifth regular national report is to be submitted to the Secretariat (Twelve months prior to the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol), in an official language of the United Nations through the BCH.  Parties are encouraged to respond to all questions in the reporting form. Complete information is required for the establishment of baseline data for the subsequent assessment and review processes of the Protocol as required for article 35 with guidance in BS VII/3 as well as the mid-term review of the progress in the implementation of the <a href="http://bch.cbd.int/protocol/decisions/?decisionID=12329">Biosafety Strategic Plan 2011 – 2030</a> .

<strong>Purpose/Objective</strong>
<ol>
 	<li>The Agreement sets Fifth the terms and conditions of the cooperation between The Parties for the execution of the project “Support to Preparation of the Fifth National Biosafety Reports to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety - AFRICA REGION” as set out in the Project document appended as Annex 1 and approved by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the letter dated 23 September 2025 appended as Annex 2. The details of the various activities under the project are as set out in Annex 1, the Toolkit for the execution of National Reporting on Biosafety.</li>
 	<li>The main objective of the project is to assist GEF-Eligible Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to prepare and make timely submission of their Fifth National Report on measures that each party has taken to implement the Protocol in line with Article 33 of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety through an umbrella Regional Medium Size Project, due to be submitted on the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) website by the respective BCH National Focal Point or offline by the designated National Focal Points to the SCBD by email (<a href="mailto:secretariat@cbd.int">secretariat@cbd.int</a>) for upload, on or before 28<sup>th</sup> February, 2026.</li>
</ol>