Access, Benefit-sharing and Intellectual Property Rights

Cop-8 Biodiversity And Trade Briefings

by ICTSD

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International trade in genetic resources today involves high economic stakes and has attracted strong interest from industry groups and traders. The issue therefore has a bearing not only on the providers of such resources, but also on modern industry, which relies on access to biological or, more specifically, genetic resources. Relevant industry sectors include pharmaceuticals, botanical medicines, horticulture and crop protection. Estimating the full value of trade in genetic resources in monetary terms is difficult if not impossible. Nevertheless, as a rough estimate, a 1999 study evaluated the global market at US$300 billion a year for the pharmaceutical sector using genetic resources, while the market for the horticultural industry was estimated at US$20 billion.1 Due to the considerable financial stakes involved, there have been substantial discussions and deliberations on the issue of access to genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge and the sharing of benefits derived from their use in different contexts and fora, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Discussions have also taken place at regional and local levels. These debates have highlighted that effective access to resources and sharing of benefits can have an impact on numerous policy areas, including biological diversity, food security, environmental sustainability, agricultural productivity, business ethics, human rights, international trade, public health, scientific research, sustainable development and wealth distribution.

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