Environment ministers seek to thrash out biodiversity deal
Environment ministers seek to thrash out biodiversity deal
Eileen Ng Agence France-Presse Kuala Lumpur
Environment ministers from 74 countries opened a two-day United Nations meeting on Wednesday seeking to curb the extinction rate of threatened species and to map out regulations to ensure developing nations benefit from the commercialization of their biological resources.
The ministers are expected to thrash out differences over plans for a legally-binding framework for what is known as "access and benefit-sharing" (ABS), after earlier deadlock among senior officials attending the conference of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Rich countries are seeking a non-binding agreement, but developing countries, home to the bulk of the world's pristine habitats, are pressing for it to be binding to ensure that they do not lose out from the commercialization of the resources and to combat bio-piracy.
At stake are billions of dollars in medicinal and other products developed by rich countries through the use of the genetic resources and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples in the developing world.
The head of a working group on the issue, India's Desh Deepak Verma, told AFP that delegates had agreed to negotiate the scope of the international regime on ABS on the basis that it would be non-binding.
Verma said this was "a move in the right direction" as developed countries had previously rejected the idea of any regulations at all.
But Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva told reporters that a legally binding framework that allowed technology transfer and recognized the autonomy of the indigenous peoples and their rights was the only way to ensure a fair share of benefits and compensation.
"The regime should be legally binding. This is the only effective way to combat bio-piracy," she said.
Malaysia's Environment Minister Law Hieng Ding told AFP: "What developing countries want is a binding instrument on ABS. We will not give up, we will continue the fight."
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in an opening speech read by his deputy, Najib Razak, said that a legal regime on ABS was vital because companies from developed countries reaped the harvest but were unwilling to share the benefits with countries that owned the resources.
"Developed countries with their vast financial resources and advanced biotechnologies continue to exploit and convert these resources into valuable commercial products," he said.
Abdullah also noted that a recent study by the Malaysian Nature Society showed that species were disappearing at the rate of three per hour and called for immediate action.
He urged rich countries to increase financial and technical resources to help developing countries in their conservation efforts and achieve goals to significantly reduce biodiversity losses by 2010.
Apart from the ministers, the conference has drawn some 2,000 government officials, scientists and activists to Kuala Lumpur.