Jun 1, 2008

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UN Biodiversity Conference:

Guidelines on the utilisation of genetic resources

At the UN Biodiversity Conference in Bonn it was resolved that the international community would agree on a fair sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources by 2010. The internationally binding statutory provisions are to be incorporated in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Final press conference on 30 May in Bonn: Achim Steiner, Director of the UN Environment Programme, German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel, Ahmed Djoglaf, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biodiversity (from left to right).

Delegates during the opening meeting of the conference

Photos (2): CBD

The basic idea is that companies from industrialised nations which profit from the economic exploitation of biological diversity should pay compensation. The appropriation without compensation of genetic resources in developing countries, known as biopiracy, should be brought to an end. The “Bonn mandate” gives Germany, current holder of the presidency of the CBD conference, the task of finalising a text for an access- and benefit-sharing (ABS) regime, together with signatories of the convention, by the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties 2010 in Japan.

Since the introduction of the Convention on Biodiversity in 1992, all efforts to achieve this have so far failed. In his closing speech of the two-week conference in Bonn, German environment minister Sigmar Gabriel stated that “After 16 years of deadlock, we have finally taken a crucial step forward”. The minister spoke of a breakthrough and a “very, very good outcome”. Achim Steiner, chairman of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), concluded by saying: “We have blown new wind into the sails of this convention, and not before time”.

The ninth Conference of the Parties (COP 9) also discussed the use of genetically modified trees. The risks of a deliberate release were assessed differently by the delegates. Calls for a moratorium on the use of genetic engineering in forestry failed to win through. As Environment Minister Gabriel explained, the conference appointed an expert panel to develop criteria for risk assessment by 2010. Other topics discussed at the conference included measures to combat illegal logging, the creation of the “Life Web Initiative”, a network of protected areas and supporting donors, and sustainable criteria for the production of biofuels.

Environmental organisations: “Only token progress”

Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR) (the umbrella organisation for German nature conservation associations), Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) and the German Society for Nature Conservation (NABU) accused the conference of making only token progress. They claim that the discussions on benefit-sharing for the utilisation of biodiversity simply paved the way for further negotiations. BUND chairman Hubert Weiger warned against using genetically modified trees in forestation programmes. “The deliberate release of genetically modified trees and terminator plants must be outlawed. Economic interests are becoming more and more apparent in the impending use of genetic engineering in forestry and terminator technology in agriculture,” said Weiger.

Plant breeders: Hopes of a mutually acceptable agreement dashed

The Association of German Plant Breeders (BDP), the European Seed Association (ESA) (the umbrella organisation for European plant breeders) and the International Seed Federation (ISF) expressed their disappointment about the way the conference had gone, claiming that any hopes of an ABS regime acceptable to all sides had not been fulfilled. The associations called for the convention to take its cue from the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITGRFA) in discussions on access and benefit-sharing. This treaty was agreed in 2001 in Rome under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). It provides a legal framework that governs the protection and utilisation of all plant genetic resources for agriculture. Plant breeders believe that this treaty is exemplary and creates transparency for all parties involved.