13 June 2011: The Intergovernmental Committee for 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) adopted four recommendations, including on compliance with the Protocol, which emerged as the dominant discussion topic.

The Committee was established to undertake the preparations necessary for the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (COP/MOP). At its first meeting (ICNP-1), held from 5-10 June 2011, in Montreal, Canada, the Committee adopted four recommendations on: the modalities of operation of the ABS Clearing-house; measures to assist in capacity building, capacity development and strengthening of human and institutional capacities in developing countries; measures to raise awareness of the importance of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge; and cooperative procedures and institutional mechanisms to promote compliance with the Protocol and address cases of non-compliance.

Compliance procedures emerged as the substantively dominant and politically charged element of the discussions, and can be expected to take a significant role at the next meeting of the Committee, scheduled for April 2012. [IISD RS Coverage of the Meeting] [Meeting Documents]