A/RES/59/236 Convention serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, to be held in the first half of 2006, Noting the efforts of the Government of France to organize a biodiversityrelated conference in Paris in 2005, 1. Takes note of the report of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, transmitted by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session; 3 2. Takes note also of the outcome of the seventh meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity3 and the outcome of the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,3 and urges all parties to these respective agreements to implement their decisions; 3. Notes the recent progress made with respect to the achievement of the three objectives set out in the Convention on Biological Diversity; 4. Notes also the progress made at the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in establishing an operational framework for the implementation of the Protocol, and reiterates that the effective implementation of the Protocol will require the full support of parties and of relevant international organizations, in particular with regard to the provision of assistance to developing countries as well as countries with economies in transition in capacity-building for biosafety; Invites the countries that have not yet done so to ratify or to accede to the 5. Convention on Biological Diversity; 6. Invites the parties to the Convention that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity 4 to consider doing so; 7. Invites countries to consider ratifying or acceding to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; 2 8. Encourages developed countries parties to the Convention to contribute to the relevant trust funds of the Convention, in particular so as to enhance the full participation of the developing countries parties in all of its activities; Urges parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to facilitate the 9. transfer of technology for the effective implementation of the Convention in accordance with its provisions; 10. Takes note of the ongoing work of the liaison group of the secretariats and offices of the relevant subsidiary bodies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 5 the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, 6 and the Convention on Biological Diversity, and further encourages _______________ 3 See A/59/197, sect. III. See UNEP/CBD/ExCOP/1/3 and Corr.1, part two, annex. 5 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1771, No. 30822. 6 Ibid., vol. 1954, No. 33480. 4 2