Blogs

The first meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ICNP-1) has finished - an unofficial report is available and some resources on the CBD site including a more formal report.  Discussions on the ABS clearing house, capacity building, compliance and awareness-raising.  Most of the discussions are about developing next steps, clarifying interpretation and making proposals for development: a lot of work still to come.

Convention on Biological Diversity Technical Series 59 - a report on REDD-plus and Biodiversity.  Covers the potential synergies and benefits, need for involvement and empowerment of local communities, and risks and issues.

The Nagoya protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing was opened for signature on 2 February - CBD press release.  It will enter into force 90 days after the 50th instrument of ratification is deposited with the UN: they hope by October 2012/...more

.../  The aim is to achieve entry into force in time for the October 2012 CBD Conference of the Parties in Delhi. The progress to this goal is going to be different in different countries, so achieving the deadline will be interesting.  Some countries may ratify only when able to enforce the requirements, while others may ratify before they have full capacity.

Useul exploration of the ABS protocol, including history and implications: Kamau, E C, Fedder, B and Winter, G (2010) The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing: What is New and what are the
Implications for Provider and User Countries and the Scientific Community? 6/3 Law, Environment and Development Journal (2010), p. 246 

The official report of the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was produced on 19 December 2010 and is online with the various decisions and other documents from the COP in Nagoya in late October.