Publication

The use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge (ATK) has been characterized by lack of regulation and unfair benefit sharing. This picture began to change only in 1993, when the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) came into force recognizing national sovereignty over genetic resources and the need for benefit sharing as a fair return for the asymmetries between users and providers of biodiversity. The CBD also obliges its members to respect indigenous peoples’ and traditional communities’ rights related to the use of their traditional knowledge subject to national legislation.