Five years after its entry into force, the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing is currently undergoing the first assessment and review of its effectiveness. Parties to the Protocol have submitted reports on national implementation. The CBD Secretariat also asked other stakeholders to submit information. A call for contributions asked, among others, “indigenous peoples and local communities and relevant organisations to provide information on customary laws and the development of community protocols and procedures in relation to access to traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of such knowledge“.
In response to this call, Natural Justice and the ABS Capacity Development Initiative submitted a joint contribution on the experiences and lessons learned from the development and implementation of community protocols and procedures. The document draws on six examples of community protocols that we supported in Africa over the last years in the context of ABS – in Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Benin and Madagascar. The lessons learned cover issues such as the focus and process of community protocols, the role of outside support and community empowerment, the role of government and the link to national ABS frameworks. It also points to remaining challenges and open questions such as the time and financial means for an inclusive process, and uncertainties regarding shared genetic resources and traditional knowledge.
You can download the contribution here.
