On Friday 1 February 2019, the VLIR WG Science, Ethics & Integrity invited Hendrik Segers and Han de Koeijer from the RBINS for the second meeting of the Nagoya Protocol Learning Network.

Hendrik Segers coordinates the Belgian National Focal Point for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), of which the Nagoya Protocol is a part, and sits on the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the CBD (SBSTTA).

Han de Koeijer is a member of the CBD committees providing advice on the Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM-IAC) on the one hand, and the capacity-building necessary for the implementation of the Protocol (ABS-CBIAC) on the other.

Egbert Jacquemyn of the Agency for Nature and Forests (ANB), which holds the monitoring authority regarding the Nagoya Protocol in Flanders, was also present to participate in the discussion.

Program:

– Brief introduction to the Nagoya Protocol and the European ABS regulations
– Report from the UN Biodiversity Conference held in November 2018 in Egypt (CBD COP 14 / NP COP-MOP 3), with a specific focus on the negotiations on the GMBSM (global multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism) and DSI (digital sequence information)
– Practical experiences with the Nagoya Protocol for importing material from non-EU countries.