Ethiopia Takes Giant Strides Towards More Sustainable Biodiversity Conservation

Author: James Ayodele, originally posted July 12 2018 - Ethiopia took a major step forward in the sustainable conservation of its biodiversity on 28 June 2018 as stakeholders validated a draft legislation on Access to genetic resources and Benefit Sharing (ABS). The draft legislation was developed following a gap analysis of existing biodiversity laws in the country.

“Today’s validation workshop is to review the draft national legal instrument on access to genetic resources and traditional knowledge and ensure that it is applicable to Ethiopia’s context, beneficial to all stakeholders and easy to implement,” said Dr. Gemedo Dalle, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Before the adoption of the landmark Nagoya Protocol of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2010 and its entry into force in 2014, Ethiopia had a law, the Access to Genetic Resources and Community Knowledge, and Community Rights Proclamation (No. 482/2006), which regulated access to genetic resources in the country. However, the adoption of the Protocol marked a paradigm shift in the way genetic resources are accessed and used for research and commercial purposes globally.

“The Protocol itself is a paradigm change. It positions biological diversity as a source of innovation to promote research and development and generate fair and equitable flows of benefits that contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals,” said Louise Chamberlain, UNDP Country Director.

Under the leadership of the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute and with support from the UNDP-GEF Global ABS Project, stakeholders in the country have been holding consultations since 2017 to revise the existing law and draft a harmonized and simplified framework that conforms to the provisions of the Nagoya Protocol and allows Ethiopia to adequately mitigate threats to its genetic resources.

“Our goal is to have a legislative and institutional framework that promotes the preservation and valorisation of Ethiopia’s genetic resources and associated community knowledge, simplify ABS implementation, and foster partnerships while raising awareness about the genetic potential for the country,” said Louise.

The new legislation has significant considerations for gender, indigenous people and private sector involvement. Following its validation, the draft document has been submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which will in turn submit it to the Ministers’ Council and then to the People’s Assembly for debate and adoption.

Ethiopia’s diverse and unique natural resources and traditional knowledge are vital given their customary uses and contributions to food security, biotechnology research and industrial development. The new ABS legislation is expected to contribute significantly to poverty eradication in Ethiopia and to the achievement of other Sustainable Development Goals through improvements in the income of poor local communities.

The UNDP-GEF Global ABS Project is implemented by UNDP with funding from the Global Environment Fund to assist 24 countries in developing and strengthening their national ABS frameworks, human resources and administrative capabilities to implement the Nagoya Protocol over a three-year period. In Ethiopia, the project is supporting innovative approaches to effectively implement the Nagoya Protocol, including the review of existing legal framework to ensure compliance to obligations of the Protocol.

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