Understanding the objectives of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg called for an international regime to promote fair and equitable sharing of benefits from use of genetic resources. In response, the United Nations prepared the Nagoya Protocol – a legal framework providing for equitable access to genetic resources and their benefits.
The Protocol establishes a system for fair and equitable benefit-sharing in accordance with the Convention, setting specific obligations for compliance with domestic legislation and regulations. It specifies measures for access to genetic resources, access to traditional knowledge, and monitoring of genetic resource use, among others. Its aim is to create incentives to conserve biological diversity as a means toward sustainable development and human wellbeing.
