IDLO and the ABS Capacity Development Initiative hosted an Expert Consultation on February 25, 2014 during the 3rd Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Nagoya Protocol (ICNP 3) in Pyeongchang, Korea, to seek expert feedback on a draft Toolkit on Legal Preparedness for Achieving Aichi Target 16 on the Nagoya Protocol. Aichi Target 16 calls on countries to ratify the Nagoya Protocol by 2015 to ensure that companies can rely on clear and transparent processes to access genetic resources and that local and indigenous communities receive a fair and equitable share of the benefits. Countries will need to review and potentially reform national legislative frameworks, and guidance is currently lacking on how to do so.
The Toolkit incorporates lessons learned from studies on country experiences with legislation related to the Nagoya Protocol, and is designed to provide practical guidance for lawyers and practitioners currently working on national processes to ratify and operationalize the Nagoya Protocol consistent with national legislation. The draft Toolkit was prepared with expert input from Prof. Jorge Cabrera, Mr. Frederic Perron Welch and Mr. Freedom Kai-Phillips of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL). Experts from the CBD Secretariat, FAO, IUCN, IDDRI, Centre for Excellence for Biodiversity Law, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, and UNESCO attended the consultation and provided valued comments to strengthen the Toolkit. An updated version is planned for release in Summer 2014 to support an upcoming Training of Trainers program for lawyers from the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific regions.