23 September 2010: The Interregional Negotiating Group (ING) on access and benefit-sharing (ABS) met from 18-21 September 2010, in Montreal, Canada, to continue the negotiation of a protocol on ABS under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The ING was established by the CBD’s Working Group on ABS to finalize the negotiation of the protocol, with a view to having it ready for adoption by the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10). The meeting’s outcome (UNEP/CBD/WG-ABS/9/ING/1) will be transmitted to the ABS Working Group, which will reconvene in Nagoya, Japan, on 16 October 2010, immediately prior to COP 10. The meeting considered outstanding issues on several parts of the draft ABS protocol, including: provisions relating to access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization; the concept of utilization of genetic resources and how it should be defined in the context of the protocol; access and benefit-sharing with regard to traditional knowledge associated to genetic resources as well as in cases where such resources and knowledge are held by indigenous and local communities; compliance and related measures; and institutional clauses.

Some progress was achieved towards an improved common understanding on the concept of utilization of genetic resources and its relation to derivatives, as well as on provisions on benefit-sharing and access. The meeting also considered provisions on scope, the relationship with other instruments, access to genetic resources for non-commercial research and access to pathogens in emergency situations, without making much progress. Several key issues remain outstanding and most delegates expressed concern about the prospect for concluding the negotiation of an ABS protocol during COP 10. [IISD RS coverage of the negotiations]