Spain today signed 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, becoming the 40th signatory country.

The Nagoya Protocol was adopted at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention in October 2010 with the main objective of ensuring participation
fair and equitable in the sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources.

The adoption of this instrument reinforces the third objective of the Convention which, together with the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, represents the general framework of global policy on biodiversity.

It is therefore an invaluable tool for raising revenues and incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, poverty reduction and environmental sustainability, thereby contributing to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Spain, which, due to its richness in biological diversity, has the dual profile of a supplier and user of genetic resources, considers that the signing of this Agreement is a decisive and responsible step in the fight against the loss of biodiversity, which must be protected and valued both for ethical reasons and for its contribution to sustainable development and human well-being.