'Amendment to Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur protocol not proposed'

"The focus of this meeting is to review the implementation of Cartagena Protocol by 2020. Issues are moving ahead as expected and it is a positive meeting. There is a good progress on the discussions," CBD spokesperson Charles Gbedemah said.

Speaking to reporters at the ongoing sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety (COP MOP), he said, "All the topics (discussed) help in implementing the Protocol. Any outcome of this meeting is towards realising the full implementation of Cartagena Protocol by 2020."

Reacting to a query that some suggestions were made during deliberations here to amend the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur supplementary protocol, Charles said, "It is not true that parties are seeking to amend the supplementary protocol and there was no process to amend supplementary protocol once it has been signed by a country."

"There are only three ratifications for the protocol so far and 40 countries need to ratify the instrument to come into force. We have 51 signatories," he said.

There was delay in ratifying the protocol as law making process varied from country-to-country and it was a challenge at national levels to enable parties (countries) to ratify it, he added.