Pursuant to the Presidential Decree of the Republic of Belarus of May 22, 2014 No. 235 the Republic of Belarus acceded to 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 line with Article 13 of the Nagoya Protocol, the National Coordination Centre on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-sharing (ABS NCC) was established at the Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. The Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of October 1, 2014 No. 933 sets ABS NCC functions, including as a Checkpoint for monitoring the utilization of genetic resources

Key objectives of the National Coordination Centre on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-Sharing are as follows:

• Data collection, analysis and systematization with regard to the legislation regulating access to genetic resources of the Republic of Belarus and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization
• Data collection and analysis with regard to the genetic resources of the Republic of Belarus, which may be accessed by stakeholders, as well as the database development for such resources
• Determining terms of access to the genetic resources of the Republic of Belarus and their use, including sharing of benefits arising from their utilization
• Providing information to stakeholders on access to the genetic resources of the Republic of Belarus and terms of their use, including sharing of benefits arising from their utilization
• Arranging expertise in projects and agreements on access to the genetic resources of the Republic of Belarus and terms of their use, including sharing of benefits arising from their utilization for compliance with the Nagoya Protocol
• Information exchange with the National Coordination Centres of other countries and international organizations on access to genetic resources and sharing of benefits arising from their utilization
  • Providing advisory services to the involved Republican Bodies of State Administration and other organizations in:
  1. Drafting legislative acts on access to the genetic resources of the Republic of Belarus and specifying terms of their use, including sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of such resources
  2. Preparing proposals for International Treaties on access to genetic resources and specifying terms of their use, including sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of such resources

Pursuant to the provisions of Article 17 of the Nagoya Protocol, ABS NCC has been vested with the functions of the Checkpoint for monitoring the utilization of genetic resources:

• Data collection on obtaining prior informed consent of access to genetic resources and their sources; consolidation of mutually agreed terms of such resources’ use, including sharing of benefits arising from their utilization
• Requiring users of genetic resources to provide information on the terms of genetic resources’ utilization and the compliance of those terms with Nagoya Protocol provisions to adopt effective measures for addressing of issues in cases of non-compliance with the terms of access to genetic resources and their use, including sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of such resources
• Fulfilling other tasks assigned to the Checkpoint for monitoring the utilization of genetic resources under the Nagoya Protocol