Antigua and Barbuda becomes the first Caribbean island country to sign the Nagoya

Montreal, 1 August 2011 – Antigua and Barbuda has become the forty-first signatory of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing and the first Caribbean island country to signal its intent to ratify.

H.E. John W. Ashe, Ambassador to the United Nations for Antigua and Barbuda, said: “As the forty-first signatory of the Nagoya Protocol, Antigua and Barbuda wishes to join with the other countries who have already done so in signalling the importance it attaches to the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, and its willingness to work with all others in creating incentives to conserve biodiversity at all levels, sustainably use its components, and further enhance the contribution of biodiversity to sustainable development and human well-being.”