UNEP
30 Oct 2018 Blogpost Environmental law and governance

Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol in Rwanda

UNEP

UN Environment in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility is supporting 10 member countries of the Central African Forests Commission, to carry out activities leading to the ratification and implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization.

At a capacity-building meeting held in Kigali, Rwanda, in September 2018, on implementation of the Nagoya Protocol, UN Environment reaffirmed its commitment to support Rwanda to establish legal institutional frameworks to aid in effective implementation of the Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing. In comparison to other countries implementing the Protocol, Rwanda has been slow to pick up momentum due to specific country challenges.

Some of the factors that contribute to some countries’ slow implementation of the Nagoya Protocol include lack of local access and benefit sharing experts as well as lengthy administrative procedures for recruiting international access and benefit sharing consultants.

Rwanda, which is among the first countries to have ratified the Nagoya Protocol, will serve as a good example to the rest of the Central African Forests Commission member countries if it gets to speed up the implementation of the project.

For more information, please contact Emmanuel.Adonsou[at]un.org