Landmark treaty on genetic resources reaches halfway mark to entry into force

Montreal, 1 October 2013 – With five new ratifications, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization has taken a big step towards entry into force. The ratifications by Bhutan, Côte D’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Indonesia and Norway, during the United Nations Treaty Event, bring to 25 the total number of ratifications to the ground-breaking treaty under the umbrella of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This is half of the 50 ratifications needed for the Protocol to enter into force.

Norway becomes the first developed country to ratify the Nagoya Protocol. The growing community of States that has ratified this instrument highlights its importance both for obtaining access to genetic resources and for sharing benefits arising from their use.

Indonesia becomes the fourth mega-diverse country to ratify the Nagoya Protocol. The commitment to the Protocol by countries that hold vast stores of biological diversity demonstrates the potential for access and benefit-sharing to contribute to sustainable development and increased knowledge of the value of natural resources while providing the conditions for continuous research on and development of genetic resources.

“The ratifications by Bhutan, Côte D’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Indonesia and Norway have significantly added to the momentum towards entry into force of the Nagoya Protocol in time for the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, to be hosted by the Republic of Korea in October 2014,”said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, adding, “We now have ratifications from all regions of the world, attesting to the broad support for this Protocol and its objective of contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity through access to genetic resources and the sharing of benefits arising from their use.”

The Nagoya Protocol will enter into force on the 90th day after the date of deposit of the 50th instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession. The five countries join Albania, Botswana, Comoros, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Honduras, India, Jordan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mauritius, Mexico, the Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Panama, Rwanda, the Seychelles, South Africa, the Syrian Arab Republic and Tajikistan as countries that have ratified or acceded to the landmark treaty.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon, as part of his message for the 2013 International Day for Biological Diversity called “on all Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity who have not already done so, to ratify the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, and therefore help us all to work toward the future we want.”

His statement of support follows on his recent letter to all Heads of State/Government highlighting the valuable contribution that the Protocol can make to sustainable development and urging ratification at the earliest opportunity so that the international community can move to the implementation phase. At the Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity which took place from 27 to 31 May 2013, the Ministers of Environment of Norway and India as well as the CBD Executive Secretary encouraged Parties to the Convention to expedite their national processes towards the ratification of the Nagoya Protocol and recalled that ratifying would enable countries to participate as Parties in the first meeting of the Parties to the Protocol and to play an important role in the decision-making process to support its implementation.

Countries wishing to obtain further information on how to become a Party to the Protocol can consult the following website: www.cbd.int/abs/becoming-party/