Capacity Development Needs
The Initiative's focus is on Africa because by international comparison this is where the need for capacity development is greatest .
The ABS situation in Africa can be characterized as follows: there is a lack of awareness of the potential of ABS at the political level; barely any functioning national ABS regulation is in place; there are problems implementing existing regulations; awareness and exchange among the relevant stakeholder groups (government, academe, private sector, and indigenous and local communities) is minimal; regional harmonisation hardly exists; inventories and information on the value of genetic resources is not available; negotiation skills are not developed. This of course also influences directly the capacity of the African Group (53 countries) to negotiate the international ABS regime.
It is essential that the capacity development starts before the actual conclusion of an International Regime (IR) on ABS in 2010. This will enable the African countries to identify suitable national ABS strategies while negotiating and developing the International Regime. Hence African countries will be - immediately after the IR has been agreed upon - fully equipped to translate the international regime into national legislation while complementing it with additional necessary aspects.
|
Results of a pan-African questionnaire about country-specific ABS capacity-building needs. |
2.8 MB |
