Brazil, which is considered the most biodiverse country in the world, on March 4, 2021 ratified the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation, becoming the 130th Party to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to do so.
“Brazil is a global leader in access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing and has already put in place national legislation that can serve as an inspiration for other countries,” said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, CBD Executive Secretary.
“By ratifying the Nagoya Protocol, Brazil can help ensure its commitment to biodiversity conservation and respect for the traditional knowledge of its indigenous peoples and local communities,” she added.
Brazil has been a pioneer in establishing a national access and benefit-sharing (ABS) framework. Its first national legislation on ABS was adopted in 2001. For 20 years, Brazil has developed mechanisms to increase benefit-sharing and recognize the value of traditional knowledge.
In 2015, Brazil adopted a new legal framework for ABS, after extensive consultations with civil society, the private sector and the scientific community. Given Brazil’s position as both a provider and user of biodiversity genetic resources, Brazil’s ABS system provides a modern approach to foster innovation and develop biotechnology.
The Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the CBD. The Protocol builds on the access and benefit-sharing provisions of the Convention by establishing predictable conditions for access to genetic resources and by helping to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of these resources.
Adopted in 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, it entered into force on October 12, 2014.
