Following the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity established a working group to formalise rules and procedures for liability and compensation over issues involving living modified organisms. This working group then established the Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, adopted in 2010.
With a specific focus on issues arising from transboundary movements, the Supplementary Protocol sets out a system of determining liability and response measures in case of damage or potential damage caused by a living modified organism. It aims to prevent damages and build confidence in modern biotechnology by setting appropriate response measures, exemptions, time limits, financial limits, and relationships to civil liability for disputes concerning living modified organisms. These procedures are expected to promote sustainable use of biological diversity while establishing international rules over its safe transfer and handling.
