Workshop Objectives

The workshop seeks develop support for securing a mandate at COP 9 in Bonn to begin legal negotiations on the ‘International Regime on ABS’. The High Level Ministerial Segment at COP 9 is focused towards ensuring the mandate for legal negotiations that will conclude the International Regime on ABS by 2010. It is the first time in the history of the CBD COP that ministers have been invited to be a part of negotiations to secure decisions on complex aspects of the negotiations over which only ministers have a final say.

The workshop seeks to create a space where African ministers can be briefed on the various aspects of the potential international regime on ABS along with providing the ministers an exposure to important ABS cases in Africa. Most importantly the workshop attempts to provide a pre-COP 9 forum where African National Focal Points for CBD can update their ministers on the African position in the negotiations within the Ad Hoc Open Ended Working Group on ABS (ABSWG) and secure the ministers support for this position. The workshop finally desires to provide an opportunity for the co-chairs of the Working Group to inform the ministers about the ABS negotiations and the COP process prior to their arrival in Bonn.