Montreal, 1 May 2014 – With four new ratifications in the last week, the Nagoya
Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of
Benefits Arising from their Utilization has received 66% of the necessary
ratifications, with only 17 more ratifications needed for it to enter into force.
Ratifications by Guyana, Hungary, Kenya and Vietnam bring to 33 the total
number of ratifications to the ground-breaking treaty under the umbrella of the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
“These ratifications by Guyana, Hungary,
Kenya and Vietnam suggest the momentum is rapidly building towards entry into
force of the Nagoya Protocol in time for the twelfth meeting of the Conference
of the Parties (COP 12) to the Convention, to be hosted by the Republic of
Korea in October 2014,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD Executive
Secretary. “It is important that we maintain and quicken this pace of
ratifications, as the early entry into force of the Protocol will also mean
achieving Aichi Target 16. I encourage all countries that have yet to do so to
take the necessary steps needed to ratify the Protocol.”
Guyana becomes the first Caribbean state;
Hungary the first European Union member state and second Central and Eastern
Europe state; Kenya the second African mega-diverse country and fourteenth
African state; and, Vietnam the twelfth Asian country, to ratify the Nagoya
Protocol. Their support underlines the global recognition of the importance of
this instrument for obtaining access to genetic resources and for sharing
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.
Guyana, Hungary, Kenya and Vietnam join
Albania, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, 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, Myanmar, 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.”
His statement of support follows on his
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.
In a January 2014 joint letter addressed
to all CBD Parties, M. Veerappa Moily, COP 11 President and Minister of
Environment and Forests, India, 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.
Earlier, a December 2013 United Nations
General Assembly 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 implementation.
Further information on how to become a
Party to the Protocol is available at: www.cbd.int/abs/becomingparty/
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