EN 
AM Toolkit
It also recommended that the Executive Secretary update and further develop the clearing-house mechanism toolkit incorporating use of guidelines, best practices and new information formats, protocols and standards (decision VI/18, paragraph 3). COP 7 further requested the Executive Secretary to update the Clearing-House Mechanism toolkit to be used as a meta-toolkit, linking to different existing toolkits with a view to optimize their resources and assist users to choose the most appropriate technology (decision VII/23, paragraph 7(c)).
National CHM
The COP has adopted certain guidance to Parties with regard to the development of the CHM. COP 2 called on Parties that had not already done so to designate their national focal point for the CHM (decision II/3 paragraph 7). COP 4, inter alia,
- recommended that each Party organise an appropriate multidisciplinary national CHM steering committee or working group (decision IV/2 paragraph 3);
- recommended that in building up the content of information in the CHM at the national, subregional, and regional level, the following be included: country profiles; biodiversity strategies and action plans; appropriate legislation; scientific and technological information; and financial sources (decision IV/2 paragraph 5(a)); and
- requested Parties to link their national CHMs to the Secretariat CHM via the internet where possible (decision IV/2paragraph 6).
As noted above, Annex I to decision V/14 contains further specific guidance to Parties with regard to the development of the CHM. At its sixth meeting, the COP invited Parties to use effectively the central portal of the clearing-house mechanism and to establish or strengthen national, subregional or regional focal points for the clearing-house mechanism, if they have not done so already.