Nagoya Protocol

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It was adopted on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, and entered into force on 12 October 2014, ninety days after the fiftieth instrument of ratification was deposited. Its objective is the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, which contributes to conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. It applies to genetic resources covered by the Convention and to traditional knowledge associated with them. Contracting parties take on core obligations in three areas: access measures that give legal certainty and rely on prior informed consent and mutually agreed terms, benefit-sharing measures that can be monetary or non-monetary, and compliance measures that support the domestic rules of the country providing the resources.