Montreal, 1 March 2013 – An informal meeting
for government experts and relevant stakeholders to discuss model contractual clauses,
voluntary codes of conduct, guidelines and best practices and/or standards, as
set out in Articles 19 and 20 of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic
Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization,
will be held in Tokyo, Japan, on 25-26 March 2013.
The informal meeting is organized with the financial and
organizational support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the
United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies, in collaboration with the
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Articles 19 and 20 of the Nagoya Protocol require Parties to
the Protocol to encourage, as appropriate, the development, update and use of
sectoral and cross-sectoral model contractual clauses for mutually agreed terms
as well as the development, update and use of voluntary codes of conduct,
guidelines and best practices and/or standards in relation to access and benefitsharing.
The outcomes from the informal meeting will contribute to
discussions on this issue at the third meeting of the Intergovernmental
Committee for the Nagoya Protocol. The Nagoya Protocol was adopted in October
2010, at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention
on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan. Ninety-two Parties had signed the
Protocol at the closure of signature on 1 February 2012, and to date, 14 have
ratified or acceded to the Protocol.
At the informal meeting, participants from different
institutions and organizations will provide an overview of existing model
contractual clauses, codes of conduct, guidelines and best practices or standards
and share views and experiences on their implementation. This will be an
opportunity to discuss challenges and opportunities in the development and use
of these tools. It will also assist governments in their implementation of the
Nagoya Protocol by increasing awareness of different approaches used by
relevant sectors involved in access and benefit-sharing activities.
Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the
Convention on Biological Diversity, said: “This informal meeting will
facilitate the sharing of experience between government experts and
stakeholders on the development and implementation of model contractual clauses
and voluntary codes of conduct, guidelines and best practices or standards,
which are key tools for engaging stakeholders and the private sector in the
implementation of the Protocol.”
Atsushi Suginaka, Director, Global Environment Division,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, said, “Article 19 and 20 is indispensable
to achieve the objectives of the Protocol – the fair and equitable sharing of
the benefits, the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of
its components. I believe this informal meeting, in which diverse experts from
around the world frankly exchange their opinions and experiences, will form a
useful basis of the discussions to be held in the forthcoming Intergovernmental
Committee.”
The informal meeting will be held at Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo,
2-2-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku- Ku, Tokyo. The working language of the meeting
will be English. Those wishing to participate in the informal meeting are
invited to visit the website:
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