On 7-8 February 2018, an Inception Workshop on the UNDP-GEF Project “Strengthening of human resources, legal frameworks, and institutional capacities to implement the Nagoya Protocol in the Republic of Belarus” was held at the Conference Hall of Minsk International Educational Centre named after Johannes Rau (IBB), 11 Gazety Pravda Ave., Minsk. This project is part of the Global Project for 24 countries funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
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 aims to provide access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources that include any material of plant, animal, microbial or other origin containing functional units of heredity, and of actual or potential value and hence representing all biological diversity of the Republic of Belarus – plants, animals, strains of microorganisms, collections of varieties and seeds, crops, and etc.
In fact, compliance by the country with Nagoya Protocol provisions means guaranteed deriving of benefits arising from the utilization of country’s genetic resources and therefore a willingness to share benefits with the countries that provide genetic resources.
UNDP representatives in Belarus, the Institute of Genetics and Cytology, NAS of Belarus (the Project Executing Entity), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus, scientific organizations exchanging genetic resources with other countries, representatives of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan involved in the project implementation took part in the international workshop.
Claudio Chiarolla, the Global Project Coordinator of the UNDP Regional Office in Europe and Central Asia (Istanbul), and A.N. Korbut, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus, opened the workshop.
