Megadiverse countries discuss benefit sharing

At the opening of the third meeting of the Group of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries, which began yesterday (March 9) and runs until Friday (12) in Brasília, the minister of the Environment, Carlos Minc, called for the implementation of the ABS (Access and Benefit Sharing related to genetic resources) during the COP-10, which will be held this year in Nagoya (Japan).

"We have to influence other governments to have a significant victory at COP-10", said the minister. He argued that the megadiverse countries need to ensure effective legal and financial commitments. "One of our tasks is to show the world that without the responsible and sustainable use of biodiversity it's impossible to protect and ensure the natural heritage", he said.

The event was attended by negotiators and ministers from 11 megadiverse countries (the name given to the 17 world's richest nations in biodiversity), and was promoted in order to consolidate the positions of the group on the elements of the International Regime on Access and Benefit Sharing derived from the genetic heritage that were negotiated in previous meetings.

The director of the Department of Environment of the Brazilian Ministry of External Relations, ambassador Luís Alberto Figueiredo Machado, explained that the meeting is part of a preparatory process for the COP-10, and that there are still legal issues to be negotiated, including the proposal of benefit sharing, providing the coherent and cohesive performance of all countries signatories of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). "This is the fundamental pillar of the Biodiversity Convention, because it deals with ways and means of conservation of different forms of life in the planet", said Machado.

Carlos Minc said the amounts and sources of funds have not been defined yet. According to him, in this moment, it is first necessary to defend the principle of benefit sharing. "It's not just a monetary issue. The requested resources will be invested in training and protection of traditional communities, in the monitoring of areas and in the inventory of the species used."

The minister claims that bio-piracy can be fought by an ABS system. "It is unacceptable that foreign laboratories synthesize the active substances extracted from typical species of a megadiverse country and, then, make the sale of drugs without paying what they owe to that country", he added.

Besides Brazil, the following countries belong to the Group of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries: South Africa, Bolivia, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Kenya and Venezuela.

Since taking the presidency of the group in 2008, Brazil has already promoted two meetings. The goal is to reach a consensus to be presented at COP-10 in Japan.

CBD - In 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, one of the most important discussions for the CBD at COP-10 will be the distribution of benefits from the use of biodiversity. The members of the Group of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries want to create an International Regime on Access and Benefit Sharing to establish compliance with the agreements made between all nations.