Today, industries such as the pharmaceutical sector, the cosmetics industry, plant genetics or zootechnics continue to travel the world in search of new genetic resources (GR) to develop or improve their products. However, the gains and benefits from these transfers have hardly been shared with the communities of origin. That is to say, products, when they prove to be interesting and accepted according to the required standards, are patented in the name of the legal or natural person who developed them, without compensation to the country of origin.

Recognizing this problem and the importance of safeguarding genetic resources, the country Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreed to adopt, in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010, a Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits arising from them (PN/APA).

The Nagoya Protocol was adopted in October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010, in Nagoya, Japan and Burundi adhered to it in June 2014. The objective of the Protocol is the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources so that those who access genetic resources (firms, researchers, etc.) share the monetary and non-monetary benefits they derive from the use of such resources with local communities in countries of origin.

Burundi has adhered to the Nagoya Protocol according to law No. 1/21 of 23 June 2014. With this accession, the Government of Burundi, through the Ministry of Water, Environment, Land Use and Urban Development, is taking all the useful and necessary measures to guarantee the implementation of the Protocol in Burundi. It is for this purpose that this document should be included to raise awareness among Traditional Practitioners on the challenges of the Nagoya Protocol.

The Nagoya Protocol aims to establish a climate of mutual trust between users and suppliers, to establish a more precise legal framework to guarantee the ABS mechanism, to ensure legal security and access to justice for the parties to the contract, and to encourage suppliers to direct benefits towards the conservation of biodiversity. It applies on the one hand to the use of the genetic and/or biochemical composition of animal, plant, microbial and other genetic resources for research and development purposes and on the other hand to the use of traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources.

This guide to raising awareness among target groups on the challenges of the Nagoya Protocol is therefore part of this framework.