Japan Signs Nagoya Protocol on Biodiversity

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On May 10, 2011, the Japanese cabinet approved the signing of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS). Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations Tsuneo Nishida signed the multilateral Protocol on May 11, 2011, at the signing ceremony held at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The protocol was adopted at the 10th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP10), in which Japan served as the presidency in October 2010 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. The Nagoya Protocol aims at setting rules for the use of genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their utilization, and thereby contributing to the conservation of biological diversity as well as the sustainable use of its components through the protocol.

Eight nations signed the protocol at the signing ceremony. Thirteen nations had already signed and 20 nations signed afterwards, so in total 41 nations have signed as of August 31, 2011. A next stage is to take steps towards the ratification process in which each nation will obtain approval from its parliament. The protocol will take effect 90 days after it is ratified by 50th country.

Japanese Cabinet Approves National Biodiversity Strategy 2010 for COP10 (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/030030.html
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http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/030232.html

Posted: 2011/09/08 06:00:15 AM