Montreal, 31 January 2014 – Three new ratifications to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization provide significant momentum towards its entry into force. The recent ratifications by Benin, Burkina Faso and Myanmar bring the total number of ratifications to the ground-breaking treaty under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to 29. This means that only 21 more ratifications are needed for the Protocol to enter into force.
Benin and Burkina Faso become the twelfth and thirteenth African countries, respectively, and Myanmar the eleventh Asian country, to ratify the Nagoya Protocol. Their support underlines the importance of this instrument in the service of sustainable development.
“These recent ratifications by Benin, Burkina Faso and Myanmar establish the necessary 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. “I encourage all countries that have not done so to ratify the Protocol at their earliest convenience, as the early entry into force of the Protocol will also mean achieving Aichi Target 16.”
There will be an exchange of views on the state of implementation of the Nagoya Protocol at the third meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Nagoya Protocol (ICNP 3), to be held 24-28 February 2014 in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea.
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. Benin, Burkina Faso and Myanmar join Albania, Bhutan, Botswana, Comoros, Côte D’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mauritius, Mexico, the Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Norway, Panama, Rwanda, the Seychelles, South Africa, the Syrian Arab Republic and Tajikistan are the countries that have ratified or acceded to the landmark treaty so far.
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.”
The Secretary-General wrote 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. The significance of the Nagoya Protocol was also highlighted during a special joint briefing event to the Second Committee of the United Nations General Assembly on 30 October 2013. In addition, in December 2013 the General Assembly, in resolution A/RES/68/214, invited parties to the Convention to ratify or accede to the Nagoya Protocol so as to ensure its early entry into force and its implementation.
In a joint letter addressed to CBD Parties in January 2014, M. Veerappa Moily, Minister of Environment and Forests, India, and COP 11 President, and CBD Executive Secretary Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias expressed the hope that countries could finalize their internal processes towards the ratification or accession of the Nagoya Protocol as soon as possible but no later than 7 July 2014.
Information on how to become a Party to the Protocol is available at: www.cbd.int/abs/becoming-party/
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