Nagoya Protocol Gains Members, Implications Spread Ripples

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) announced early this month that five new countries ratified its protocol on access and benefit sharing of genetic resources, bringing membership to 85 countries.

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization now counts 85 members. The CBD in a press release [pdf] called for 15 new ratifications to reach the goal of 100 ratifications before the second meeting of the Parties to the protocol, on 14-17 December in Cancun, Mexico.

France, Mali, Moldova, the Netherlands and Sweden are the latest countries to ratify the protocol, which entered into force on 12 October 2014.

By reaching the goal of 100 ratifications, “the international community will demonstrate its support to the Nagoya Protocol and to making it a reality on the ground. Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol will also contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including Target 2.5 on food security,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD executive secretary.

As membership of the Nagoya Protocol rises, the implications of its implementation are echoing through other fora, such as the World Trade Organization Council for the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the World Health Organization (IPW, Public Health, 2 September 2016),  and this week at the World Intellectual Property Organization Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC).