Instruments

Following instruments with exemplary activities to implement the capacity development initiative have been identified:

1. Multi-stakeholder workshops

To identify in a participatory manner, topics, regions and participants for the more focused instruments listed below.

Activities: Designing and organizing – in close cooperation with African counterparts – a platform to initiate/facilitate the exchange among and between stakeholders on the following issues: bioprospecting cases, updates on ABS legislation/regulations, intellectual property rights and alternative approaches of genetic resource ownership, realisation of Farmers’ Rights, role of civil society in shaping and implementing ABS and Farmers’ Rights, etc.

2. Issue or stakeholder focused trainings

Activities: Assessing needs, designing and organizing, regional tailor-shaped trainings on negotiation skills, legal issues, outreach and media approaches, monitoring, project planning and design, etc.

3. Peer-to-peer knowledge exchange

Activities: Identifying and “broking” between appropriate institutions/organizations and individuals as ABS knowledge providers and recipients. Facilitating local-local learning exchange, govt.-govt. on-the-job exchange, etc.

4. ABS best practices with the private sector

Activities: Initiating, supporting design and facilitating fair and equitable ABS show case projects in cooperation with the private sector (North-South PPP). This includes approaching and sensitizing profit-oriented enterprises in Europe and Africa dealing with biological/genetic resources to engage in such partnerships.

5. Knowledge management and information exchange

Activities: Developing an African (virtual) knowledge base, shaped according the regional conditions including a documentation of bioprospecting cases, updates on policies and legislation/regulations and a literature database. Finally the platform could be developed to serve as the regional ABS CHM.

6. Regional background studies

Activities: Identifying, commissioning and backstopping of analyses and approaches for implementing current and future elements of the international regime in the African context options for regional harmonization.

7. African inputs on ABS to relevant meetings

Activities: Organizing, giving methodological guidance and thematic input to the international negotiation process and other regions (side-events, Inf.-docs, etc.)

A roadmap for the preparation and realisation of these instruments was mutually agreed during the “kick-off” multi-stakeholder Workshop in Cape Town, South Africa, in November 2006 .