The provision and use
of the genetic resources of the planet is
the subject of a week long negotiations
that started in Montreal, Saturday, with
the aim to settle the details of a new global
legal agreement to govern the process at
a multinational level.
The results of these negotiations, to be
taken to the Nagoya Biodiversity Summit
in October this year, will contribute to
unlocking the huge scientific and economic
potential of the biodiversity of our planet,
with a significant impact on human well-being.
In 2002, at the Johannesburg
World Summit on Sustainable Development,
world leaders agreed on the need for an
international regime on access and benefit-sharing
(ABS). The 4,000 participants attending
the eighth meeting of the Conference of
the Parties, held in March 2006, agreed
to finalize negotiations as soon as possible
and no later than 2010.
The adoption of the
Aichi Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing
will make a major contribution to achieving
the Millennium Development Goals, as well
as to promoting sustainable development.
Access and benefit-sharing
refers to the way genetic resources?whether
plant, animal or microorganism?are accessed
in countries of origin, and how the benefits
that result from their use by various research
institutes, universities or private companies
are shared with the people or countries
that provide them. Ensuring the fair and
equitable sharing of benefits from the use
of genetic resources is one of the three
objectives of the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD).
The final result is
a draft agreement that will be submitted
for adoption at the Nagoya Biodiversity
Summit, otherwise known as the tenth meeting
of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10)
to the Convention on Biological Diversity,
to be held in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture,
Japan, in October 2010.
Over 10,000 participants
are expected to attend the Biodiversity
Summit. The high-level segment of this historic
meeting will be held on 27-29 October 2010
and will be preceded by a high-level meeting
of the United Nations General Assembly exclusively
devoted to biodiversity to be held in New
York in September 2010 in conjunction with
the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly
and with the participation of Heads of State
and Government.
The negotiations on
access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing
aim at the effective implementation of the
access and benefit-sharing provisions of
the Convention, as well as Article 8(j)
of the Convention related to the equitable
sharing of benefits arising from the utilization
of traditional knowledge associated with
genetic resources.
Note to Editors:
The Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) Opened for signature at
the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992,
and entering into force in December 1993,
the Convention on Biological Diversity is
an international treaty for the conservation
and sustainable use of biodiversity and
the equitable sharing of the benefits from
utilization of genetic resources. With 193
Parties, the Convention has near universal
participation among countries committed
to preserving life on Earth. The Convention
seeks to address all threats to biodiversity
and ecosystem services, including threats
from climate change, through scientific
assessments, the development of tools, incentives
and processes, the transfer of technologies
and good practices and the full and active
involvement of relevant stakeholders including
indigenous and local communities, youth,
NGOs, women and the business community.
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety a supplementary
treaty to the Convention seeks to protect
biological diversity from the potential
risks posed by living modified organisms
resulting from modern biotechnology. To
date, 156 countries and the European Union
are party to the Protocol. The Secretariat
of the Convention and its Cartagena Protocol
is located in Montreal. www.cbd.int/
Access to genetic resources
and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits
arising out of their utilization: The Convention
on Biological Diversity recognizes the sovereign
rights of States over their natural resources
in areas within their jurisdiction. Parties
to the Convention therefore have the authority
to determine access to genetic resources
in areas within their jurisdiction. Parties
also have the obligation to take appropriate
measures with the aim of sharing the benefits
derived from their use. Genetic resources,
whether from plants, animals or micro-organisms,
may be used for different purposes. Users
of genetic resources can include research
institutes, universities and private companies
operating in various sectors such as pharmaceuticals,
cosmetics, agriculture, horticulture and
biotechnology. Benefits derived from genetic
resources may include the result of research
and development carried out on genetic resources,
the transfer of technologies which make
use of those resources, participation in
biotechnological research activities, or
monetary benefits arising from the commercialization
of products based on genetic resources.
www.cbd.int/abs The documents under discussion
at the ninth meeting of the working Group,
are available at: www.cbd.int/wgabs9/
2010 International Year
of Biodiversity: The United Nations declared
2010 the International Year of Biodiversity
(IYB) to raise awareness about the crucial
importance of biodiversity, to communicate
the human costs of biodiversity loss, and
to engage people, particularly youth, throughout
the world in the fight to protect all life
on Earth. Initiatives will be organized
throughout the year to disseminate information,
promote the protection of biodiversity and
encourage countries, organizations, and
individuals to take direct action to reduce
biodiversity loss. The focal point for the
year is the Secretariat of the Convention
on Biological Diversity. www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/
