National ABS Focal Points can be contacted for assistance in obtaining ABS permits. Focal Points for each country can be found on the ABS Clearing-House, see these pages for more info.
Note that not all countries have a Focal Point and that the Focal Points are solely responsible for providing information regarding ABS permits and agreements.
If you consult a Focal Point, document the communication and link this information to the data within your data management system.
If you cannot obtain the correct permit, you cannot carry out the planned work. For some countries, obtaining written confirmation is almost impossible. We therefore recommend that researchers look at the National Focal Points in the ABS Clearing-House for guidance. If you cannot find a contact person in the ABS Clearing-House, contact the ABS Clearing-House directly.
Record your attempts to obtain a permit. It can be useful for the overall permit process and the function of the Clearing-House to receive feedback on the challenges in obtaining permits and other aspects of compliance.
Each country develops PIC and MAT based on their unique laws and regulations. This may also apply to species mapping. The National Focal Point is the best place to gather information on this.
No. The Nagoya Protocol has an annex with a list of potential monetary and non-monetary benefits, which may be specified in a MAT.
The monetary and non-monetary benefits, as listed in the annex to the Nagoya Protocol:
Monetary benefits include, but are not limited to:
access fees or a fee per sample collected or otherwise acquired;
up-front payments;
milestone payments;
payment of royalties;
license fees in case of commercialization;
special fees to be paid to trust funds supporting conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity;
salaries and preferential terms where mutually agreed;
research funding;
joint ventures;
joint ownership of relevant intellectual property rights.
Non-monetary benefits include, but are not limited to:
sharing of research and development results;
collaboration, cooperation and contribution in scientific research and development programmes, particularly biotechnological research activities, regardless of where they are conducted, and where possible in the provider country;
participation in product development;
collaboration, cooperation and contribution in education and training;
admittance to ex situ facilities of genetic resources and to databases;
transfer to the provider of the genetic resources of knowledge and technology under fair and most favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms where agreed, in particular, knowledge and technology that make use of genetic resources, including biotechnology, or that are relevant to the conservation and sustainable utilization of biological diversity;
strengthening capacities for technology transfer;
institutional capacity-building;
human and material resources to strengthen the capacity for the administration and enforcement of access regulations;
training related to genetic resources with the full participation of provider countries, and where possible in such countries;
access to scientific information relevant to conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, including biological inventories and taxonomic studies;
contributions to the local economy;
research directed towards priority needs, such as health and food security, taking into account domestic uses of genetic resources in the provider country;
institutional and professional relationships that can arise from an access and benefit-sharing agreement and subsequent collaborative activities;
food and livelihood security benefits;
social recognition;
joint ownership of relevant intellectual property rights.
