Awareness rising is one of the Initiative’s mandates explicitly mentioned by the Steering Committee to be essential for the successful implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS).  This time the Rio +20 convention offered a great opportunity to present the principles, ideas and the implementation activities in relation to ABS.

The ABS Capacity Building Initiative was present on six side events, each attracting a diverse audience and focusing on different topics.

13 June 2012

Access and Benefit Sharing – A Brief Introduction

Hosted by the Equator Initiative, the Community Aldeia brought together the winners of the Equator Prize 2012, other civil society leaders, and the Equator Initiative partnership in a ten-day dialogue at the margins of Rio+20.

Suhel al-Janabi, co-manager of the ABS Initiative, presented a brief introduction to the issue of ABS and how it relates to local communities and their conservation activities in respect to biological genetic diversity. Mr. al-Janabi described the evolution of negotiations on ABS since the early beginnings of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the first Rio Earth Summit, up to the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol on ABS in 2010. His presentation was followed by a short animated video (LINK), explaining the basic concepts of ABS and the Nagoya Protocol, For more information on these two and other events organized by the Equator Initiative, please click here.

Medicinal Plants: Biodiversity Conversation and Income Generation

A panel presentation entitled 'Medicinal Plants: Biodiversity Conservation and Income Generation', again organized by the Equator Initiative, was opened by Mr. al-Janabi’s introduction to the CBD and the Nagoya Protocol on ABS, highlighting that the Protocol provides an economic incentive for the conservation of biodiversity by requiring technology-rich countries to share the benefits of genetic research with countries providing the genetic resources. A short film on the Nagoya Protocol on ABS was followed by presentations from three Equator Prize winners from China, Egypt and Brazil, all of which promote sustainable harvesting of medicinal plants.

17 June 2012

ABS Initiative – objectives of sustainable development and funding of sustainable development

Hosted by the Institute of Energy and Environment of the Francophony (IEPF), a subsidiary organisation of the “International Organisation of the Francophony” (OIF), which in partnership with the GIZ supports the ABS Initiative in Africa and the Caribbean. In the context of Rio +20 the IEPF invited experts to discuss opportunities of funding of sustainable development in general and in developing countries in specific. Participants were:

• Mrs. Fatimata Dia Touré, Director of IEPF: Welcoming remarks
• Mrs. Parfaite Koffi, President NGO SANWI (Côte d’Ivoire): Funding of sustainable development, example: West Africa.
• Mr. Christian Brodhag, Director of Research, EMSE (France): Decentralised funding of sustainable development – which local partners are essential?
• Mr. Suhel Al-Janabi, Expert GIZ: ABS Initiative in Africa and the Caribbean
• Mr. Henri de Cazotte, assistant of Mr Brice Lalonde, Secretariat of the Rio 20 convention: Objectives of sustainable development – What is at stake for developing countries?

As part of the vivid and constructive discussion Suhel Al-Janabi, Co- Manager of the ABS Initiative, and Valerie Normand, Senior Programme Officer, Access & Benefit Sharing, SCBD, presented the French version of the Initiative’s animated video, “ABS – simply explained”, and gave an introduction to the the ABS Initiative’s work and activities in general.

18 June 2012

Sustainable Development, Green Economy, forests, and ABS

Another side event hosted by the IEPF focused on: National ways of governing sustainable development in the Francophone regions; forests in the light of the Green Economy for sustainable development and the eradication of poverty; the ABS Initiative for Africa and the Caribbean. The objective was to identify concrete actions for the Francophony for the time after Rio+ 20. Speakers were:

• Mrs.. Fatimata dia Touré, Director of IEPF: Welcoming remarks
• Mr. Tounao Kiri, Programme Specialist IEPF/OIF: National profiles of governing sustainable development in the Francophone area.
• Mr. Jacques Prescott, Associate Professeur for Eco-counsel at the UQAC: Forests and humans – traps and opportunities of the Green Economy for sustainable development and the eradication of poverty
• Mr. Suhel Al-Janabi, Expert GIZ: ABS Initiative for West Africa and the Caribbean

The world premiere of the French version of the ABS film People, Plants and Profit was very well received and stimulated discussions on challenges and opportunities for national implementation of ABS.

19 June 2012

Green and Inclusive Business Models

Suhel al-Janabi, co- manager of the ABS Initiative, participated in a discussion about “Green and Inclusive Business Models”, hosted and organized by the Confederation of Danish Industry. The guiding question was: How can green and inclusive business models contribute to poverty eradication, growth and protection of nature and environment? Mr. al-Janabi pointed out that the Nagoya Protocol on ABS not only aims at creating fair exchange conditions, but also provides enhanced legal certainty for valuing nature in a market economic approach. Many refer to the Nagoya Protocol as the first internationally agreed and legally binding mechanism for a “Payment for Ecosystem Services” and, therefore, as a building block for a global green economy.

21 June 2012

Messages from the Copenhagen Business Dialogue on Access and Benefit Sharing / Challenges and opportunities of the Nagoya Protocol on ABS in the context of green economy 

The ABS business dialogue was held two weeks before Rio +20, gathering international senior representatives from businesses, research, governments and development cooperation. The participants formulated messages on how to effectively implement the Nagoya Protocol and how different business models can contribute to it. At the side event, again organized by the Confederation of Danish Industry, these messages were delivered to the Danish Minister for the Environment, Mrs. Auken, who introduced them into the discussions at Rio+20 .

For more information on these and other side events organized by the Confederation of Danish Industry please click here.