Introduction

Under the Biodiplomacy Programme, the Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing (ABS) activities involve facilitating and informing processes relevant to the development of the international regime on benefit–sharing as set out in the World Summit on Sustainable Development Plan of Implementation and relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. This also involves attention to the wider objectives of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Plan of Implementation, which includes poverty reduction, changing unsustainable consumption patterns, and protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development. 

The research outputs tend to address three key areas:

1. Evaluation of the effectiveness of existing international ABS governance, and options for further development;  
2. Identification of critical capacity development needs to implement ABS policies and principles;
3. Development of research and policy tools to assist informed decision making.

These outputs normally feed into practical, and timely advice to the Convention on Biological Diversity on implementation of its ABS provisions and other bodies interested in neutral, policy relevant research.  

Activities  
   
     In 2009

Continue Development and Implementation of a 3-year Capacity Building Programme in the ASEAN Countries:  This project will address regional harmonization of national processes for implementation of CBD's ABS provisions.

Provide Expert Advice to the various ABS Experts Working Groups leading up to CBD COP 10: ABS Expert programme staff will actively participate in meeting and will submit Information Papers to Support the CBD Negotiations.

Academic Research Support to the Antarctic Bioprospecting Discussions: Expert programme staff will participate and submit  information papers in the International Experts Meeting on Biological Prospecting in the Antarctic Treaty Area in Baarns, Netherlands Feb 2009; Support to the Indigenous Peoples Global Summit  Anchorage, Alaska April 2009; Continued Expansion of the Antarctic Bioprospector.

Development of the Bioprospecting Database: This is an information resource across the regions and areas including the Antarctic, Pacific, Marine, and Arctic.  This online resource provides searchable databases which include details of research and commercialised products arising from biological samples that were sourced from the various regions.

Development of Intellectual Property Protocols for Indigenous Peoples:  This is being done in partnership with the Aboriginal Rainforest Council (ARC).

Compilation of Protocols and Analyses for the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (GRTKF) Toolkit.

Provide Contributions to the development of the New South Wales (Australia) Biodiscovery Legislation.

Convene an Industry ABS Dialogue: The value of an active dialogue with industry lies in the fact that the technological and business basis for genetic resources utilization is rapidly changing. Recent trends in science and technology have affected the demand for genetic resources from nature in both positive and negative ways. ABS measures have often been drafted with insufficient grounding in the market, legal, scientific and technical realities of this complex, and rapidly changing, area of research and commercialization. The CBD negotiations of an international ABS regime to provide international cohesion in the use of genetic resources would benefit from dialogue and understanding between Industry and ABS negotiators.

ABS Case Study Analysis with Equator Initiative: This work, in partnership with the Equator Initiative, will identify benefits (monetary and otherwise) desired by enterprising communities in different ecosystems and modes of distribution, in the light of the global discussions on components of benefit sharing.

Upcoming Publications

1. Benefit Sharing in ABS: Options and Elaboration. UNU-IAS and UNEP


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For further information please contact:
Wendy S. Elliott
Programme Associate
elliott@ias.unu.edu