TY - JOUR
T1 - Fair and equitable negotiations? African influence and the international access and benefit-sharing regime
AU - Coolsaet, Brendan
AU - Pitseys, John
PY - 2015/5
Y1 - 2015/5
N2 - In 2010, at the tenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Parties adopted the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS). The adoption is the result of a long set of negotiations on the making of an international ABS regime, aiming to share benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a ‘fair and equitable way’. However, the conditions for this fair and equitable benefit-sharing lie in a decision-making process that is similarly fair and equitable, i.e. governed by the principles of procedural justice. This article traces the participation of the supposedly most disadvantaged participants in the ABS negotiations: the African countries. It shows that these countries managed to have more influence than what could have been expected in light of their economic and demographic weight. It then explores the procedural and institution-based sources underlying this influence and draws lessons from the African experience in the ABS negotiations with regard to international procedural justice.
AB - In 2010, at the tenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Parties adopted the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS). The adoption is the result of a long set of negotiations on the making of an international ABS regime, aiming to share benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a ‘fair and equitable way’. However, the conditions for this fair and equitable benefit-sharing lie in a decision-making process that is similarly fair and equitable, i.e. governed by the principles of procedural justice. This article traces the participation of the supposedly most disadvantaged participants in the ABS negotiations: the African countries. It shows that these countries managed to have more influence than what could have been expected in light of their economic and demographic weight. It then explores the procedural and institution-based sources underlying this influence and draws lessons from the African experience in the ABS negotiations with regard to international procedural justice.
UR - http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/10.1162/GLEP_a_00297#.WI4a_JKiLs8
U2 - 10.1162/GLEP_a_00297
DO - 10.1162/GLEP_a_00297
M3 - Article
SN - 1526-3800
VL - 15
SP - 38
EP - 56
JO - Global Environmental Politics
JF - Global Environmental Politics
IS - 2
ER -