NAGOYA — Nearly two decades after its creation, the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity has finally realized one of its main goals.
The Nagoya Protocol, approved early Saturday morning at COP10, formalizes rules for achieving the CBD's third objective, which is the fair sharing of benefits from genetic resources.
Adoption of the protocol is being hailed by delegates and nongovernmental organizations as one of the most important measures the world has ever taken against biopiracy, and the most important U.N. environmental agreement since the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.