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The Minister for Environment and Forests, Thiru A. Raja, emphasized that the loss of biodiversity will be reversed only if the indigenous and local communities that have been its custodians benefit from its conservation and sustainable use.
Inaugurating the Meeting of the Like Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMCs) on access to biological resources and sharing of benefits arising out of the use of these resources here today, Thiru Raja, who is also Chairman of the group of LMMC, said that a significant part of the pharmaceuticals industry and its products are developed based on traditional and indigenous knowledge, adding that “however, local and indigenous communities rarely get any benefits from the resulting products”.
“The megadiverse countries, with home to nearly 60-70% of the global biodiversity, should be in a position to influence the bulk of trade in bio-resources. However, the reality is that most of the megadiverse countries continue to remain impoverished despite the richness of bio-resources that they posses”, he added.
Stating that the relationship between genetic resources, traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights is one of the most debated issues in the negotiations of several multilateral agreements, Thiru Raja pointed out that the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) and the TRIPS ((Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) agreements, both touch on issues relating to genetic resources and intellectual property giving rise to a range of legal and practical issues concerning both their relationship in international law and their implementation at the national level. There is therefore a strong need for harmonization of the provisions of these agreements, the Minister stressed.
Stating that many countries have pointed out the limitations of IPRs in effectively protecting the genetic resources and interests of the countries of origin, the Minister said that the countries of origin require that their sovereignty over their biological resources be respected by all, leading to the prevention of biopiracy.
In his welcome address, Dr Prodipto Ghosh, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, pointed out the group of LMMC represents more than 70 per cent of the planet’s biological diversity and 45 per cent of the world’s population, along with the rich cultural diversity and the traditional knowledge associated with it.
Dr Ghosh further called for evolving common priorities for the international regime on access and benefit sharing with a broad vision to provide the conceptual and legal framework for making biodiversity conservation more effective and for opening up the potential for sustainable use of biological diversity.
Minister of State for Environment and Forests Shri Namo narain Meena was also present on the occasion.
The meeting of the the group seventeen countries, known as the Like Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMC), rich in biological diversity and associated traditional knowledge has been convened to discuss the issues relating to access to genetic resources and associated knowledge, intellectual property rights (IPRs) in relation to biological resources, and traditional knowledge.
These countries are Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, and Venezuela. The LMMC Group, which holds nearly 60-70% of all biodiversity, is now well recognized as an important negotiating block in the UN and other international fora.
The meeting, which is being attended by ministers, experts, government officials and various stakeholders, will help in evolving a common position of the LMMCs for developing an international regime on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) and is expected to result in finalization and adoption of the New Delhi Ministerial Declaration of LMMCs on ABS.
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