OPENING
PLENARY:
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Above photos: Suwit
Khunkitti, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand,
officially opened ABS-3 by sounding a traditional Thai gong
and was followed by a traditional Thai long dance
performance.
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Above photos L-R:
Suboh Mohammed Yassin, Deputy Secretary-General, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Malaysia, President of the CBD Conference of the Parties (COP), expressed his appreciation to Thailand for hosting the meeting in difficult times, following the tsunami tragedy. He said the COP-7 decision to initiate negotiations on an international regime on ABS marks a new phase in the CBD implementation.
Suwit Khunkitti, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, shared experiences he witnessed in the areas affected by the tsunami. He highlighted that achieving progress in the negotiations for an international regime on ABS is crucial for the future of the Convention.
Hamdallah Zedan, CBD Executive Secretary, outlined the agenda, stressing the need for the Working Group to respond to a task set at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) by successfully negotiating on an international ABS regime.
Nehemiah Rotich on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) cautioned that intellectual property rights (IPRs) can
undermine the rights of local communities over genetic resources and emphasized the work currently performed by UNEP on capacity building in six African countries to promote benefit-sharing.
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Statements:
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Mongolia, on behalf of ASIA AND THE PACIFIC, expressed hope
for successful deliberations on an international regime and
highlighted sub-regional initiatives on ABS.
Above photo: Ayundar
Navaan-Yunden (Mongolia)
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The Netherlands, on behalf of the EUROPEAN UNION (EU),
said that the international regime should comprise a number of mutually supportive instruments, including
existing ones.
Above photo: Hans Hoogeveen (The Netherlands)
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The
UN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO) noted the recent
entry into force of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR), stressing its
essential contribution to negotiations on ABS in the CBD
context. Above photo L-R: FAO's Alvaro Toledo and Clive
Stannard in a conversation with the Secretariat.
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India,
on behalf of the LIKE-MINDED MEGADIVERSE COUNTRIES (LMMC),
reported on a Ministerial- and Expert-level meeting of the
LMMC recently held in New Delhi, India. Above photo: Suresh
Chandra (India)
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ETHIOPIA
said that if access to genetic resources is to be continued,
it needs to be reciprocated by benefit-sharing, and urged
initiating negotiations on a legally binding international
regime.
Above photo: Tewolde Berhan Gebre Eghziaber (Ethiopia)
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NEPAL
stressed the need to ensure capacity building and technology
transfer for the implementation of the Bonn Guidelines in
developing countries. Above photo: Krishna Chandra
Paudel (Nepal) |
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Above photos L-R: Rolf
Jördens (UPOV); Jayasyree Watal (WTO); Shakeel Bahti
(WIPO) and Sam Johnston (UNU-IAS)
The
INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW VARIETIES OF PLANTS (UPOV)
cautioned that the ABS regime should not create barriers to access
to genetic resources for plant breeding.
Addressing
the relationship between TRIPS and the CBD, the WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATION highlighted country views on international actions
required for the disclosure of origin of genetic resources and
traditional knowledge in IPR applications.
The WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION (WIPO) reported on
progress achieved in addressing IPR issues related to genetic
resources, traditional knowledge protection, the interrelationship
between genetic resources and disclosure requirements in IPR
applications, and the role of IPRs in technology transfer.
The
UN UNIVERSITY-INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES outlined its
biodiplomacy initiative, including research and training on the use
of genetic resources and distribution of benefits, roles of IPRs,
bioprospecting and biotechnology regulation.
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Reports:
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CANADA
stressed the need for further elaboration of the Bonn
Guidelines, and said that national and regional ABS measures
are the precursors to negotiating the binding components of an
international regime. Above photo: Timothy Hodges
(Canada)
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SWITZERLAND stressed implementation of the Bonn Guidelines and
the ITPGR in the short and medium term, and highlighted
national activities facilitating implementation of the
Guidelines. Above photo: François Pythoud
(Switzerland) with Olivier Jalbert (CBD) and Valerie
Normande (CBD)
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International
Regime:
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MEXICO
stressed that the international regime should complement, not
substitute, national access legislation, and include a certificate of
legal provenance. Above photo: Jorge
Soberón (Mexico)
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BRAZIL
stressed the need to ensure that PIC also applies to the rights of
indigenous and local communities over their traditional knowledge.
Above photo L-R: Maria Angelica Ikeda and Mitzi Gurgel Valente da
Costa (Brazil)
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ENB Snapshots:
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Photos from the Reception hosted
by the Thai Government:
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