Why is it in the News

Cameroon, a central African country recently adopted the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing.

About the Nagoya Protocol:

• The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation (the Protocol) is a globally binding agreement designed to fulfill the access and benefit-sharing obligations outlined in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
• Adopted in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010, the Protocol came into effect on October 12, 2014, following the deposit of the fiftieth instrument of ratification.
• It establishes a transparent legal framework to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of benefits derived from the use of genetic resources, a key objective of the CBD.

Benefits of the Protocol:

• It provides researchers with a structured framework to access genetic resources for biotechnological research and development while ensuring a fair share of benefits derived from their utilization.
• Indigenous and local communities stand to benefit from the recognition and protection of traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources.

Scope of the Protocol:

• The Protocol covers genetic resources within the scope of the CBD and addresses the benefits arising from their utilization.
• Additionally, it encompasses traditional knowledge linked to genetic resources covered by the CBD and the benefits derived from its utilization.

Key Facts about the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD):

• With 196 contracting parties, the CBD is the most comprehensive binding international agreement for conserving nature and sustainably managing natural resources.
• Opened for signing at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the CBD aims to conserve biological diversity, ensure its sustainable use, and promote the fair and equitable sharing of benefits.
• The CBD covers biodiversity across ecosystems, species, and genetic resources.
• The Conference of the Parties (COP) serves as the highest decision-making body of the Convention, with the Secretariat based in Montreal, Canada.
• To further CBD objectives, two internationally binding agreements were adopted: the Cartagena Protocol in 2000, regulating the transboundary movement of living modified organisms, and the Nagoya Protocol in 2010, facilitating access to genetic resources and the equitable sharing of benefits.