Side Event

Key issues on the final stage of IR negotiations: reflections and proposals

Organizer
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental (SPDA), Center for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics (CESAGEN), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) & Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna In Commerce (TRAFFIC)

Date and Time
24 March 2010 13:15 - 14:45

Meeting
Ninth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing (WG ABS 9)

This side event aims to present and discuss substantial issues that have been only marginally addressed or debated under the negotiations of the International Regime on ABS. These include: analysis of the concepts of sovereignty and genetic resources as natural information widely shared around the world; analysis of how the ideas of open source and commons may help implement appropriate ABS policies and legislation; and lessons learnt from field projects addressing ABS and TK protection regimes to point out the need of linking all the CBD objectives into the IR. By placing these complex issues on the table, we hope to raise awareness over the uncertainty that is and has been characterizing certain aspects of the Regime to be soon adopted. At the same time, through the side event, we invite official delegations, concerned organizations and the general public to participate in the discussions and streamline ideas and suggestions emerging from the side event to the formal IR negotiation process in a way that become reflected on its outcomes. Speakers: Joseph Vogel, University of Puerto Rico: Sovereignty and shared informational resources: is the IR going in the right direction? Paul Oldham, CESAGEN: Open source and commons in the context of the ABS, TK and IP debate. Esteban Falconi, IUCN: Is the IR linking the 3 objectives of the CBD?: approaches from the field. Time for questions and debate. Facilitator: Manuel Ruiz (SPDA).