Edward Culchenko
News from Tajikistan 21 September. In UN's New York headquarters, Tajikistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamrokhon Zarifi took part in the ceremony of signing 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. Tajik MFA believes this to be a major achievement and pins high hopes on the document it has signed. What does the signature of this international document hold for investors and authorities of the Republic of Tajikistan?
The Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol
The Convention on Biological Diversity became open for signature on 5 June 1992 during the so-called Earth Summit held by the United Nations Organization in Rio de Janeiro. The document came into force on 29 December 1993. Today, as experts of the Land Association of Traders and Investors of Tajikistan within the point out, it is the only international document fully dedicated to the issue of preserving biological diversity:
1. Biological diversity means variability of living organisms from all sources, including, among others, surface, marine and other water ecosystems and environmental complexes part of which they are; this concept includes variety within the species, between species and the variety of ecosystems.
2. Goals of the Convention: Only three have been formulated so far:
- preservation of biological diversity;
- sustainable utilization of its components;
- fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from utilization of genetic resources.
Achievement of all three goals involves necessary access to genetic resources and transfer of relevant technologies with all rights in such resources and technologies observed, and, of course, appropriate financing.
3. Necessary measures. The Convention provides for:
- preservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats;
- maintenance of genetic databanks for endangered species intended to recover losses, for example, through cloning;
- preservation of ecosystems and natural habitats;
- maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural environment;
- utilization of biological diversity components in a manner and at a pace that do not result in depletion of biological diversity in the long term, thus preserving its ability to meet the needs and aspirations of the current and future generations.
4. The Convention was signed by over 150 countries of the world.
5. The Nagoya Protocol. On 29 October 2010 a Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization was signed in Nagoya, Japan.
6. Main objective. The Protocol is intended to provide for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from utilization of genetic resources, i.e. to meet the Convention's third goal. It should provide the supplier and consumer of genetic resources with a clearer and more transparent legal framework. The Protocol's crucial novelty is guarantees of compliance with domestic laws of the party that offers genetic resources as well as guarantees of the sharing of benefits if resources are taken outside the supplying country. In addition, the Nagoya Protocol has a provision about use of knowledge about genetic resources of local communities which expands their involvement in the distribution of revenues.
How can Tajikistan benefit from signing the Nagoya Protocol?
This document was signed during the so-called Treaty Days usually held before the UN session starts. On such days heads of states and governments as well as ministers of foreign affairs put their signatures to a number of multilateral agreements and deliver instruments of ratification of or accession to them to the UN Secretary General.
1. The Nagoya Protocol was signed on 21 September by most countries - 13. It was especially popular on this day. Apart from Tajikistan, this document was signed by Serbia, Belgium, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, the Dominican Republic, France, Greece, the Republic of Palau, Poland, Portugal , the Republic of Korea, and Romania.
2. By now, the Protocol has been signed by as many as 55 states. It officially comes into force only 90 days following its ratification by the 50th state. However, no signatory of the Nagoya Protocol has ratified it yet. This is why, unfortunately, this document is absolutely ineffective.
Environmental protection in modern Tajikistan: the main problem.
The head of Tajik MFA said during one of the round tables within a high-profile meeting on desertification, land degradation and drought: 'The territory of Tajikistan is exposed to natural desertification, while soil degradation drives the population to migrate, food production to decline, living conditions and the standard of living to deteriorate.
■ as Mr. Zarifi put it, Tajikistan is among the most land-starved arid areas of Central Asia. This has invariably resulted in a poor social position in the Republic.
■ Hamrokhon Zarifi also said that soil degradation in Tajikistan reduces the area of land suitable for farming and brings down crop capacity. As a result of erosion, the top, most fertile layer of soil is destroyed with water or removed by the wind, its properties deteriorate, fertility and crop capacity decline by 20% to 100%.
■ In 1997 Tajikistan acceded to the UN Convention co Combat Desertification.
The Editor's Office of Market Leader in conjunction with experts of the Masterforex-V Trading Academy holds a survey at the trader and investor forum: in your opinion, can the global community help Tajikistan cope with its environmental problems?
■ yes, nobody will help but it. The Republic used to have no such problems as part of the USSR;
■ no, it is not safe to interfere with natural phenomena;
■ probably, but this will not play a decisive role.
Edward Culchenko
