Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety established an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Risk Assessment and Risk Management(AHTEG)in 2008 to develop further guidance on specific aspects of risk assessment and risk management.The outcome is the‘Guidance on Risk Assessment of Living Modified Organisms,which comprises three parts: the‘Roadmap for risk assessment of living modified organisms (LMOs);guidance on conducting risk assessments on LM abiotic stress-tolerant plants,stacked plants,LM trees and LM mosquitoes;and guidance on monitoring LMOs released into the environment. With the development ofthe Guidance,Parties now have a framework which they can use and adapt to their conditions,needs and obligations, consistent with the Protocol and in particular its Annex Ⅲ on risk assessment.The Guidance has produced a number ofinnovations and improvements on appraising risks.At the same time,itcontains a few general weaknesses in its approach.Nonetheless,the overall outcomes ofthe AHTEG activities,on the balance,provide good guidance for advanced understanding of risk appraisal that will be useful for the implementation of risk assessment frameworks to strengthen national biosafety legislation.Despite the challenges ahead, putting the Guidance to use will be the best measure ofits ability to uphold the core objectives ofthe Cartagena Protocol.In addition, following their 6th meeting in 2012,Parties have continued the work on risk assessment by continuing online forum discussions and establishing a new AHTEG These activities and their outcomes will continue to be important for shaping and advancing our understanding of risk assessment.