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Project on Access and Benefit-sharing in Latin America and the Caribbean: A science-policy dialogue for academic research

Venue

Lima, peru

Project's partners: DIVERSITAS, ICSU Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ICSU ROLAC), International Unions of Biological Sciences (IUBS), Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT)

Biodiversity

The Article 8a of the Nagoya Protocol stipulates special considerations for the implementation of ABS regulations and calls for facilitated access for non-commercial biodiversity research. Currently, biodiversity scientists face many barriers when accessing and storing biological samples for their research. In many cases this is due to a lack of understanding of the respective concerns and needs of researchers and policy-makers.

The project focuses on academic research in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and the implications of ABS policies and regulations. It is endorsed by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (S-CBD). The project brought together researchers and policy-makers from LAC to engage in an insightful dialogue in order to discuss challenges and opportunities regarding facilitated access to biological material, clarify the needs of Academia and government agencies, and build mutual trust. They elaborated joint recommendations to support the implementation of national and/or regional ABS regulations that suit the needs of users and providers of biological material with a view to better conserve and sustainably use biodiversity, while allowing the generation of urgently needed biodiversity knowledge for the benefit of society.

This project was possible thanks to the financial and logistic support of DIVERSITAS – the international programme on biodiversity science, the International Council for Science (ICSU), the ICSU Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ICSU-ROLAC), the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), the CONACYT (National Council for Science and Technology, Mexico) and the Mexican Academy of Sciences.

Categories

Languages: English