New York (USA), 2 February 2011 – Official Opening Ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York for the Signing of the Nagoya Protocol on access to and the sharing of benefits resulting from the use of biodiversity. In his opening address at the ceremony, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, encouraged all the Parties to speed the entering into force of this new legal instrument designed to serve sustainable development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. During this ceremony, representatives from Columbia, Yemen, Brazil and Algeria signed the Nagoya Protocol, which remains open for signature till 1^st February 2012 at the UN headquarters in New York.

 This ceremony is the direct outcome of the historical adoption of a Strategic Plan for the presentation of genetic resources by 2020 and of a legally binding protocol.

New Strategic Plan with 20 Objectives for 2020 in Order to Protect Biodiversity

This new Plan includes 20 objectives to protect biodiversity built around five strategic themes, aiming at guiding national and international efforts to safeguard biodiversity. It includes measures and actions to be undertaken so as to put an end to biodiversity degradation. According to this plan, by 2020 protected areas shall be created over 17% of the earth surface (compared to 12% now) and over 10% of the water surface instead of 1% currently. Similarly, countries committed themselves to conserve and restore 15% of degraded lands.

Resource Mobilization Strategy

To achieve this goal, a resource mobilization strategy is necessary (both at the international and national levels) to provide a way forward to substantially increase current levels of national funding and innovative financing in support of biodiversity. This question was not decided upon at the Nagoya conference and was referred to the next Conference of Parties to be held in India in 2012.

The Nagoya Protocol

Participants at COP 10 in Nagoya also adopted a protocol to regulate access to genetic resources of plants, animals, other organisms and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits (APA) derived from the use of biodiversity. The historic agreement creates a framework that balances access to genetic resources based on a pre-established and informed agreement and mutually agreed terms with the fair and equitable sharing of benefits, taking into account the important role of traditional knowledge. This Nagoya Protocol (the second in Japan after that of Kyoto) will now govern, in 2012, the sensitive trade and scientific relations between developing countries who are holders of most biological materials from fauna and flora and developed countries who are users of molecules, natural extracts and genes of which pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries are fond of.

The Protocol Establishes the Various Steps of the Procedure for Access and Benefit-Sharing: (1) The user (enterprise or researcher) interested makes an access request to the country providing the genetic resource. Each state must designate a national focal point where demands are centralized. (2) The exporting country, and if need be, local communities, must give its prior consent with full knowledge of a targeted use of genetic resource. (3) Contractual terms are established between the two parties that define how the benefits will be shared with the exporting country / community. (4) The authorization is issued by a national authority of the exporting country. (5) Information on access and benefit-sharing is communicated to the Clearing House. (6) A procedure for monitoring the respect of responsibility should be implemented at national level.

Finally, the Nagoya conference also felt that climate policy and biodiversity conservation policy should be coordinated so that the program of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) equally contribute to biodiversity conservation. The conference also approved the proposal to devote the next decade (2011-2020) to biodiversity. This proposal will be forwarded to the UN General Assembly.

For further information, please visit the links below:

Read the press release:

CBD.int: A new legal instrument at the service of sustainable development opens up for signature: For further information, please contact David Ainsworth through the number +1 514 833 0196 or david.ainsworth@cbd.int or Johan Hedlund at +1 514 287 6670 or johan.hedlund@cbd.int:

Read the Nagoya Protocol

In the press:

Environnement.com: Nagoya – signing of an APA Protocol and adoption of goals for 2020

Environnement.doctissimo.fr: Signing of a historic agreement on biodiversity at the Nagoya summit

Nagoya Protocol on Biodiversity: the first signatories

Outcome of the Nagoya Summit on biodiversity

Agreement in Nagoya: a major step for biodiversity, League for the Protection of Birds, 2 November 2010.

Nagoya gives a boost to Nature, WWF, 29 October 2010.
Agreement of Nagoya, a major step for biodiversity, Department of Ecology, 2 November 2010.

To learn more, please visit the official website of the CBD: http://www.cbd.int/abs/