The sixth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was held from 21-25 January 2008 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

In a continuation of the fifth meeting of the Working Group, held in October 2007, the Working Group proceeded with the elaboration and negotiation of an international regime on ABS, under the co-chairmanship of Fernando Casas (Colombia) and Timothy Hodges (Canada). Discussions focused on the main components of the international regime, including fair and equitable sharing of benefits, access to genetic resources, compliance, traditional knowledge and genetic resources, and capacity building. The Working Group made considerable progress in producing a short and concise working document on the international regime, consisting of sections on the main components and lists of items “to be further elaborated with the aim of incorporating them in the international regime” in case there was agreement in principle, or “for further consideration,” in case of disagreement or need for further clarification. The outcome of the Working Group’s deliberations will be submitted for consideration by the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the CBD at its ninth meeting, to be held from 19-30 May 2008, in Bonn, Germany, where delegates will have to take critical decisions on the future of the ABS negotiations, with the 2010 deadline for completion rapidly approaching.
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IISD RS coverage of the meeting