Biotech Updates

South Africa Ratifies Nagoya Protocol

January 30, 2013

South Africa has submitted their instrument of ratification on the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity. They join the other 11 countries who also ratified the Protocol: Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, India, Jordan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mauritius, Mexico, Panama, Rwanda and the Seychelles.

The Protocol aims to provide a greater legal certainty and transparency for providers and users of genetic resources to strengthen the opportunities for fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their use. It will be implemented 90 days after 50 countries have completed the ratification process.

Read the media release at http://www.cbd.int/doc/press/2013/pr-2013-01-28-nagoya-za-en.pdf.