16 July 2014
ABS Protocol Receives 50 Ratifications, Enters into Force on 12 October 2014
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Following the most recent ratifications by Switzerland and Uruguay, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has gathered the required number of ratifications to enter into force.

CBD14 July 2014: Following the most recent ratifications by Switzerland and Uruguay, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has gathered the required number of ratifications to enter into force. It will enter into force on 12 October 2014, in time for the first Meeting of the Parties to be held from 13-17 October 2014, concurrently with the second week of the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 12) to the CBD, in Pyeongchang, the Republic of Korea.

The following CBD parties have now ratified or acceded to the ABS Protocol: Albania, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Comoros, Côte D’Ivoire, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, European Union (EU), Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Guatemala, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mexico, the Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Niger, Norway, Panama, Peru, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, and Viet Nam. While the EU will be a party to the Protocol, its approval of the Protocol does not count towards the 50 instruments required for entry into force.

“Practical tools such as the Nagoya Protocol are critical for the sustainable and equitable use of biodiversity. I commend the member States that have ratified this important international legal instrument. By fulfilling the promise made at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, they have made a significant contribution to the post-2015 sustainable development agenda,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

CBD Executive Secretary Braulio Dias said that, “The Nagoya Protocol is central to unleashing the power of biodiversity for sustainable development by creating incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, while guaranteeing equity in the sharing of benefits.” [CBD Press Release][ABS Protocol Webpage]


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