The Minister of the Environment, Cristina Narbona, participated yesterday in the opening ceremony of two meetings of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to promote agreements that allow respect for the traditional knowledge of indigenous populations in terms of biodiversity and, at the same time, as well as the fair and equitable distribution of the benefits of genetic resources.

Spain, due to its rich biodiversity, high degree of endemicity and its thriving biotechnology industry, is a country that acts as both a user and a provider of genetic resources. For this reason, our country has a political commitment to the development of these aspects of the Convention on Biological Diversity and, specifically, to the negotiation of an international benefit-sharing regime that is inclusive, transparent and effective and that combines access and equitable sharing.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was adopted in June 1992. Its ratification is practically universal, with 188 Contracting Parties. Spain signed it in June 1992 and ratified it in November 1993.

The CBD pursues the conservation of life on Earth in all aspects: genetic, population, species, habitat and ecosystems. Its three objectives are: the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources through, inter alia, adequate access to those resources and appropriate transfer of relevant technologies.

They constitute two of the most important themes of the CBD: the protection of the traditional knowledge of indigenous and local communities associated with biodiversity (art. 8j) and the regulation of access to and benefit-sharing of genetic resources (ABS; art. 15). Because of their complexity, both issues have required the creation of two expert groups which, so far, have met three times.