ABSTRACT
The Clearing-house Mechanism (CHM) was created to promote technical and scientific co-operation but was initially developed as a mechanism for information access and exchange on the biological diversity regime. Under the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP), nations maintain and even increase their sovereign rights over their biological resources. The many definitions of transparency found in the literature clearly reflect the conviction that the dissemination of information makes it possible to evaluate a country's policy or performance in relation to a given question. The pilot phase was developed in keeping with three principles. They are organize and link information relative to the implementation of the Convention, facilitate the integration of information from different disciplines, and support the decision-making process by providing syntheses of global issues and priorities as stipulated by the Parties. The independent review of the pilot phase of the CHM was made public in October 1999.
