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Indicator 15.6.1 directly measures progress made by countries in establishing legislative, administrative or policy frameworks on access and benefit-sharing (ABS)

The indicator is defined as the number of countries that have adopted legislative, administrative and policy frameworks to ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits. It refers to the efforts by countries to implement the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity (2010) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (2001).

Forest Department

Forest Department

Annual 

Number of countries that have adopted legislative, administrative and policy frameworks

The Nagoya Protocol covers genetic resources and traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources, as well as the benefits arising from their utilization by setting out core obligations for its contracting Parties to take measures in relation to access benefit-sharing and compliance. The objectives of the International Treaty are the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use, in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The Protocol provides greater legal certainty and transparency for both providers and users of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, and therefore, encourages the advancement of research on genetic resources which could lead to new discoveries for the benefit of all. The Nagoya Protocol also creates incentives to conserve and sustainably use genetic resources and thereby enhances the contribution of biodiversity to development and human well-being. In addition, Parties to the Protocol are to encourage users and providers to direct benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources towards the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its components.

The International Treaty has established the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing, which facilitates exchanges of plant genetic resources for purposes of agricultural research and breeding, by providing a transparent and reliable framework for the exchange of crop genetic resources. The Multilateral System is instrumental in achieving the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources as well as the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use.

Nagoya Protocol provides that Parties are to take legislative, administrative or policy measures, as appropriate, to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources, including for genetic resources that are held by indigenous communities, and benefits arising from the utilization of traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources. The ABS Clearing-House is a platform for exchanging information on access and benefit-sharing established by Article 14 of the Protocol, The ABS Clearing-House is a key tool for facilitating the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol, by enhancing legal certainty and transparency on procedures for access, and for monitoring the utilization of genetic resources along the value chain. The Protocol requires Parties to make information on legislative, administrative and policy measures available to the ABS Clearing-House. Non-Parties are also encouraged to make this information available in the same manner. The goal is to allow users of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge to easily find information on the ABS Clearing-House on how to access these resources and knowledge in an organized manner, and all in one convenient location.

The International Treaty stipulates that Contracting Parties ensure the conformity of its laws, regulations, and procedures with its obligations under the International Treaty (Article 4). Under the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing (Articles 10-13), countries grant each other facilitated access to their plant genetic resources, while users of plant genetic material from the Multilateral System are encouraged to share their benefits with the Multilateral System. Such benefits should primarily flow to farmers in developing countries who promote the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources.

Data are provided by countries (or regional integration entities), and can be displayed by country, regional group, membership to a specific regional organization, and/or by their status as Parties or nonParties to the Protocol and to the International Treaty.

Summation of information made available by each Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity and to the International Treaty related to:

•  ABS legislative, administrative or policy measures made available to the ABS Clearing-House and to the Online Reporting System on Compliance of the International Treaty in relation to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (y/n)

N/A

This indicator can be used to measure progress in adopting ABS legislative, administrative and policy frameworks over time.  This indicator does not assess the scope or effectiveness of ABS legislative, administrative and policy frameworks.

All the metadata shown in this document was gathered from United Nation Statistics Division. The metadata was extracted from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/.