March 5, 2020 – 09:00 EST
This event is part of the Voices for BioJustices webinar series
Benefit sharing and traditional knowledge: Unsolved dilemmas for implementation
Conveners: Manuel Ruiz, Sarah Laird, Rachel Wynberg
Moderator: Manuel Ruiz
Coordination: Gabriela Alvarez and Jaci van Niekerk
Click here to watch the webinar’s recording.
Samples for drug development, a bulk plant ingredient used in a cosmetic product, herbal teas, or microorganisms that contribute to biotechnological processes …. do all of these fall under ABS law? A lot of confusion surrounds the activities and products covered by ABS. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) addresses “genetic resources” and “biological resources”, but what does that mean in practice to local groups, researchers, indigenous peoples, companies, and even governments? Stakeholders tend to view ABS in many different ways, and partly this is because what ABS applies to – that is, its scope – has become exceedingly broad. A quick look at some existing national and international frameworks shows ABS covering biological materials, genetic resources, derived products, indigenous peoples´ traditional knowledge, biotrade, and more recently “digital sequence information”.
ABS policy has provided a home for numerous orphaned ethical issues associated with biodiversity, traditional knowledge, genetic resources, and advanced science and technology. It has been all things to all people and convened invaluable dialogues over the last few decades. But its implementation has always lagged behind its promise, and one of the challenges can be found in the ambiguity around what it actually regulates. This is a pressing matter today as policy makers and others grapple with the implications of DSI for ABS. This webinar will review the origins of scope within the CBD, how it evolved over the following few decades, and where we find ourselves today. Contributors will share views on the appropriate scope for national laws, some of the lessons learned, and possible approaches to addressing challenges today.
In a series of videos we explore these issues in more depth with a range of individuals. We invite you to watch the Voices for BioJustice ABS and Scope videos here and to download the ABS and Scope Policy Brief.
The webinar will run for 1 hour 15 minutes. The moderator will set the stage with an overview, and two presenters will follow:
Overview video introducing the topics covered in the webinar.
For further information contact Gabriela Alvarez: coordinator@peopleandplants.org