Rwanda Ratifies Nagoya Protocol

Rwanda is the third country to complete the ratification of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Protocol will be implemented 90 days after the deposit of the 50^th instrument of ratification. It will 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.

"The ratification of the Nagoya Protocol by our country is an important step towards a better sustainable management of our rich biodiversity. This new international instrument under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will certainly contribute in boosting our economy and at the end the livelihoods of communities will be improved. Like other developing countries around the world, once the Protocol enters into force, Rwanda would be in a position to benefit meaningfully from its biological resources and associated traditional knowledge, which have been exploited over the years without real return," said Rose Mukankomeje, Director General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA).

Read CBD's press release at http://www.cbd.int/doc/press/2012/pr-2012-04-05-abs-en.pdf.