Access and Benefit Sharing of Bioresources
An International agreement in 2010 was adopted in by the Convention on Biodiversity COP-10 on 29th October,in Nagoya,Japan. The agreement aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources in a fair and equitable manner, including by appropriate access to genetic resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies, taking into account all rights over resources and technologies. The agreement ensures that by appropriate funding it will be contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and its components.
From 24-28th February 2014 third meeting of the Open ended AdHoc Intergovernmental committee for the Nagoya protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits arising from their utilisation (ICNP-3) is being held in Pyeonchang,Republic of Korea. A capacity building workshop on the access and benefit-sharing(ABS) is being held on on 23rd February 2014. The importance of this meeting is because it will be dealing with the need for and modalities of a global multilateral benefit-sharing mechanisms; modalities of operation of the Access and Benefit Sharing clearing house, capacity building, and development.
It is one of the key areas of concern to both the poor and rich people in developing and developed countries, as both known and unknown part of the disappearing plant ,animal, microbial biological diversity , genetic resources in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is of value to human survival on the planet earth. Lack of proper modalities and systems for access and benefit sharing (ABS) has been a big disadvantage to humanity, to disappearing local cultures-traditional knowledge, especially to those suffering from poverty, hunger, malnutrition, disease, and ecological /man made environmental disasters.
It is timely the scientific community is joining hands through the Nagoya protocol , and new developments such as International Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). It is necessary to have integrated working approach, to build modalities, protocols for ensuring greater understanding of knowledge and value embedded in the biological diversity and its components for preservation of our earths ecosystems.
I believe that the universal sustainable development goals when established in 2015 will become worthwhile only new developments are integrated with principles of fair access and equitable sharing of benefits of biological resources and ecosystem services associated with biological diversity while conserving and maintaining them in their native environments. The sustainable future can be assured to future generations, provided correct steps and mechanisms are developed for delivery and access of equitable sharing of benefits associated with bioresources and ecosystem services.
Promila Kapoor-Vijay
Director PBK-2100
23 February 2014
