What Is Nagoya Protocol? Check Objectives, Features and India’s First Report Submmision on Implementation

The Nagoya Protocol is a transformative legal framework which aims to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits of genetic resources. It protects biodiversity and traditional knowledge of indigenous communities while fostering ethical scientific innovation. It is a supplementary agreement to the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). 

Latest Update:

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) officially submitted India’s First National Report (NR1) Implementation of Nagoya Protocol at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD). The report covering the period from 2017 to 2025, the report cements India’s position as a global leader in Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS).

What is the Nagoya Protocol? 

The Protocol was adopted on October 29, 2010, in Nagoya, Japan, and entered into force in October 2014, came to be known as Nagoya Protocol.

The protocol addresses the historical issue of Biopiracy and applies to genetic resources like  plants, animals, and microbes and the traditional knowledge associated with them.

It  focuses on the principle of Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) and the provider of a resource and the user at equitable benefit sharing without harming anyone.

• Genetic Resources: Plants, animals, or microbes containing functional units of heredity.

• Traditional Knowledge: Ancestral wisdom held by local communities regarding the use of these resources.

Key Features of the Nagoya Protocol:

The protocol generally focus on the core three pillars to provide a predictable environment for both provider and users: 

1. Access Obligation: parties to protocol must establish a clear, transparent and non-arbitrary framework within the country.  Users must obtain Prior Informed Consent (PIC) from the provider country before accessing resources.

2. Benefit-Sharing Obligations: to ensure the benefits such as monetary, like royalties, or non-monetary, like technology transfer are shared fairly based on Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT).

• Compliance Obligations: Signatory countries must ensure that genetic resources used within their jurisdiction were acquired legally which involves checkpoints to monitor the flow of resources through the value chain.

India’s First Report Submmision to the Nagoya Protocol Implementaion: 

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) officially submitted India’s First National Report (NR1) to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) by covering the period from 2017 to 2025. This cements India’s position as a global leader in Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS).

Key highlights from this Report includes: :

• India has established over 276,653 Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the local level.

• India has published 3,556 Internationally Recognized Certificates of Compliance (IRCCs), accounting for over 60% of the global total with global leadership. 

• Over ₹216.31 crore (approx. USD 28 million) was mobilized through NBA approvals, with significant funds disbursed directly to local communities, farmers and traditional knowledge holders in between 2017 and 2025.

• The report highlights the successful implementation of the Biological Diversity Rules, 2024 and the ABS Regulations, 2025.

The Nagoya Protocol ensures fair sharing of genetic resource benefits and traditional knowledge. India submitted its first national report (2017-2025) to the CBD Secretariat, demonstrating global leadership in Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS). This report highlights India's robust framework, including numerous Biodiversity Management Committees and significant fund mobilization for local communities, effectively combating biopiracy.

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