TURKMENISTAN PLANS TO ACCEDE TO THE NAGOYA PROTOCOL TO THE UN CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

In order to implement constructive initiatives, put forward by the President of Turkmenistan with the aim to promote environmental diplomacy and strengthen the international legal framework in this area, during a government meeting on August 27, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rashid Meredov come up with the idea of our country to join the Nagoya Protocol to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

The aim of the Nagoya Protocol that entered into force in 2014 is to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources. The document has been ratified by 124 states and the European Union.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov approved this proposal and underlined that the state policy of neutral Turkmenistan prioritized ecological well-being and environment. This is a principled and responsible position, which our country strictly follows in the formation of national development plans and in the implementation of its foreign policy.

The Convention has three main goals including: 1) the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); 2) the sustainable use of its components; and 3) the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.

What preceded the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol?

To further advance the implementation of the third objective of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention’s Conference of the Parties mandated its Working Group to elaborate and negotiate an international regime on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing.