The Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources will take effect in October, but without the participation of Japan--even though it spearheaded the initiative. 

The protocol stipulates procedures for equal sharing of benefits on the use of genetic resources such as medicine between providers of the resources and users of them.

While Japan compiled the protocol as president of the meeting of the parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in 2010, it did not meet the deadline for ratification due to a delay in domestic procedure.

The Secretariat of what is informally known as the Biodiversity Convention, based in Montreal, announced July 14 that 51 countries had ratified the document.

That means the protocol will enter into force on Oct. 12, exactly 90 days after more than a minimum of 50 countries agreed to be bound by it.

The protocol was adopted at the 10th meeting of the CBD parties in 2010 in Nagoya, with the aim of providing financial assistance to developing countries that provide resources covered by the protocol.

This is because companies and research institutes in advanced countries tended to monopolize bumper profits, which were criticized as “biopiracy.”

The first meeting of parties to the protocol to discuss details will be held during the Conference of Parties of the CBD, scheduled in South Korea in October.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement: “Practical tools such as the Nagoya Protocol are critical for the sustainable and equitable use of biodiversity. I commend the member states that have ratified this important international legal instrument.”

Japan has been slow to ratify the protocol because of holdups in making arrangements with related industries.

Various government ministries and agencies held meetings with experts, industry representatives and academics to discuss Japan's position, but to no avail.

“Japan is responsible for ratifying the protocol as soon as possible and to implement related measures as early as next year,” Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara said July 15 after a Cabinet meeting.

(This article was written by Tetsu Kobayashi in Washington and Akemi Kanda.)

Fuente: (http://ajw.asahi.com/article/sci_tech/environment/AJ201407160083)