About biosafety

Biotechnology can generate significant benefits, but there are concerns that it may have adverse impacts on biodiversity and human health.

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, a supplement to the Convention on Biological Diversity, aims to ensure the safe handling, transport and use of organisms that have been modified using modern biotechnology. UN Environment works in partnership with the Global Environment Facility and the Convention on Biological Diversity to assist the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol to meet their commitments under the agreement.

What we're doing

Image from the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture

Enabling Activities

Biosafety National Reporting: We support projects that help countries fulfill their obligations under the Cartagena Protocol, or that enable them to become Parties to the agreement.

CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research

Capacity building

Supporting countries with the utilization of modern biotechnology, LMO detection, risk assessment and risk management

Related Sustainable Development Goals

People and partners

Our work on biosafety is guided by the Strategic Plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety as well as by the Global Environment Facility’s Strategy on Biosafety. The latter has three objectives:

To assist in the development and implementation of national biosafety frameworks through capacity-building initiatives;
To promote information sharing and collaboration, especially at the regional and sub-regional level; and
To promote collaboration with other organizations to assist capacity-building for the Protocol.

We also work in partnership with the World Health Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and its platform on genetically modified organisms.