The new supplementary protocol provides international rules and procedure on liability and redress that countries can seek for environmental damage to biodiversity resulting from the importation of living modified organisms. "This is a very historic occasion ... We are very glad that the world has recognised there is the need for liability and redress," said Gurdial Singh Nijar, director of the Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity Law at the University of Malaya. He pointed to the protocol’s Asia-Pacific roots, saying "Malaysia started this whole process".