Access & Benefit Sharing

The ELC has been working on ABS issues and supporting the negotiations relating thereto for over fifteen years.

The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources is one of the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the CBD in 2010 created an international framework which provides for concrete measures, rules and procedures to implement the CBD´s third objective.

In 2012, IUCN launched the IUCN Explanatory Guide to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of the Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity at the 11th meeting of the CBD Conference of the Parties in Hyderabad, India.

At the national level, the ELC has been supporting the development of national policies and legislation for ABS in countries across the world, from the Middle East to the Caribbean. IUCN also works as a member of the PharmaSea consortium to improve understanding of practical approaches to implementing ABS in the context of marine genetic research.

Please address correspondence and comments to lydia.slobodian@iucn.org