Cali, October 22, 2024 – In the framework of the COP16 on biodiversity, today the debate focused on a technical but crucial issue for the future of the global economy and biodiversity: genetic resources. During a strategic panel held in the Colombia Pavilion, the implications of the use of these resources were addressed from multiple perspectives, including ethics, intellectual property and digital sovereignty.
Colombia's Minister of Environment, Susana Muhamad, stressed the need to democratize knowledge about genetic resources. Incidentally, Muhamad stressed that "we are talking about genetic material of animals and plants that is sequenced and stored in digital databases. However, the companies that use these resources no longer know where they come from, and are not paying the corresponding benefits"..
The minister also called for better regulation of these resources in Colombia and recalled that, although there are international treaties, there is still work to be done in national regulations to ensure the fair distribution of benefits to local communities.
Sovereignty was a key word in his speech. “With the Minister of Science and Technology and President Petro, we are working on a project for a national data cloud, so that we begin to have sovereignty over data, because the data of this country is leaking out of us, others are using it and we are not even realizing it”, explained Muhamad.
Experts give their opinion on the regulation of genetic resources
The panel also included the participation of experts such as Silvia Restrepo, director of the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University, who highlighted the importance of regulating access to genetic resources and the need to share the benefits derived from their commercial use.“What is being sought is the creation of a fund for the protection of biodiversity in countries that are rich in it,” Restrepo said.
Experts agree with the initiative promoted by Colombia's Minister of the Environment, Susana Muhamad, on the creation of a financing fund to ensure the protection of biodiversity in countries rich in genetic resources.
Otro de los temas clave para Colombia es la creación de un fondo de financiamiento para asegurar la protección de la biodiversidad en los países ricos en recursos genéticos. Restrepo explicó que este fondo busca garantizar que los beneficios económicos derivados del uso comercial de estos recursos, como el desarrollo de medicamentos o tecnologías basadas en secuencias de ADN, sean compartidos con los países de origen.
“This mechanism would allow commercial actors to contribute to biodiversity conservation, ensuring that the nations that provide these valuable resources can adequately protect them,” said Restrepo.
This day on genetic resources at COP16 has made it clear that the regulation of these resources and their ethical use will be key issues for future international negotiations, as well as for the development of domestic regulations to ensure the benefit and protection of biodiversity.