United Nations General Assembly A/RES/56/197 Distr.: General 15 February 2002 Fifty-sixth session Agenda item 98 (d) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly [on the report of the Second Committee (A/56/561/Add.4)] 56/197. Convention on Biological Diversity The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 55/201 of 20 December 2000 on the Convention on Biological Diversity, 1 in which it, inter alia, decided to proclaim 22 May, the date of the adoption of the text of the Convention, as the International Day for Biological Diversity, Recognizing the importance of the adoption by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, in its decision EM-I/3 of 29 January 2000, 2 of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the subsequent signature of the Protocol by one hundred and three parties to the Convention by 5 June 2001, and the ratification thereof or accession thereto by nine parties to date, Expressing its appreciation for the generous offer of the Government of the Netherlands to host the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, and the third meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Cartagena Protocol, which will be held at The Hague from 8 to 26 April 2002, Urging the parties to the Convention to undertake thorough preparations to advance progress on all issues that are included in the agenda of the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, 1. Takes note of the report of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, as submitted by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session; 3 2. Notes the outcome of the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing, which addresses the appropriate access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of its utilization, hosted by the Government of Germany from 22 to 26 October 2001; _______________ 1 See United Nations Environment Programme, Convention on Biological Diversity Environmental Law and Institution Programme Activity Centre), June 1992. 2 See UNEP/CBD/ExCOP/1/3 and Corr.1, part two, annex. 3 See A/56/126. 01 49273