NAGOYA PROTOCOL

NEWS: India has emerged as the global leader in biodiversity compliance, issuing 3,561 Internationally Recognized Certificates of Compliance (IRCCs)àover 56% of the total certificates issued worldwide under the Nagoya Protocol.

ABOUT

• Nagoya Protocolàsupplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
• Provides a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of one of the three objectives of the CBD: the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.
• Adopted inà October 29, 2010, in Nagoya, Japan.
• Entered into Force: October 12, 2014.
• Currently 141 parties to the Nagoya Protocol (including 140 UN member states and the European Union).
• India signed the protocol in 2011 and ratified it in 2012.
• India implements the protocol through the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and the Biological Diversity Rules, 2004.
• The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)à headquartered in Chennai, acts as the primary body.

Key Features

• Creates predictable conditionsà for access to genetic resources, ensuring Prior Informed Consent (PIC) is obtained from the provider country.
• Ensures that benefits are shared fairly with the provider country based on Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT).
• Requires parties to take measures to ensure that genetic resources utilized within their jurisdiction
• Covers traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources held by indigenous and local communities.
• An IT platform for exchanging information to help implement the protocol.

Internationally Recognized Certificates of Compliance (IRCCs)

• IRCCà Electronic permit generated through the ABS Clearing-House that serves as official evidence that a user has legally accessed a genetic resource.
• Proves that Prior Informed Consent (PIC) was granted and Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT) were established between the user (e.g., a researcher or company) and the provider (e.g., a local community or national government).