Seychelles National Assembly approves ratification of Nagoya Protocol

The Seychelles National Assembly has unanimously approved the motion tabled by the government for the Ratification of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

In her remarks to the Assembly, the Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly Hon Marie-Antoinette Rose said the Seychelles was assisting in getting the necessary 50 signatories needed for the ratification of the Protocol. To date 3 countries , Gabon, Jordan and Rwanda, have ratified the Nagoya Protocol. Seychelles signed the Protocol on 21st April 2011. The Protocol will enter into force 90 days after the deposit of the 50th instrument of ratification

The Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It provides a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of one of the three objectives of the CBD - the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

It was agreed by the 193 Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at the Aichi-Nagoya Biodiversity Summit in October 2010. It was opened for signature in New York on 2 February 2011.To date ninety two countries have signed the Protocol. Read more at Seychelles signs Nagoya Protocol

The full text of the Nagoya Protocol is available at: www.cbd.int/abs/doc/protocol/nagoya-protocol-en.pdf