Strategic objective 6. To raise awareness and build capacities on the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing

For many years now, the CEBIOS programme have followed the issue 'Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization', but without necessarily developing expertise or playing an active role in the process. At the Belgian level, other interested parties are in a similar situation. The new programme framework rightly makes of the Nagoya protocol the sixth pillar of our activities.

Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol in Belgium involves the federal level, the Regions and the Communities, and could include both legal and non-legal measures. This scope is extremely broad and goes far beyond the fields of competences of both the RBINS and DGD. For this reason, we propose to focus our activities during this work programme on issues that are within our expertise, i.e. capacity building, public awareness and information management (and the focus of these will depend on the results of the ongoing multilateral negotiations and of the 2012 Belgian study).

The expected results are:

6.1. The RBINS and DGD are familiar with the obligations under the Nagoya Protocol.
6.2. Awareness of the scientific community on the Nagoya Protocol is raised. As outlined in the section below, capacities will first be built within RBINS. Information and training for other stakeholders, including DGD, will start as of 2014.