The policy and legal context for access and benefit sharing

Principles of access and benefit sharing The notion of ABS is relatively new. It is most notably expressed as a principle in various sections of the CBD (UN 1992). In that context, ABS is inextricably linked to genetic resources and the related traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples and communities. According to the CBD, the action of accessing genetic resources, on which, ultimately, everyone on earth depends for survival (FAO 2010) triggers a requirement for sharing, fairly and equitably, all the benefi ts derived from their use and from the related intellectual efforts of indigenous peoples and communities to maintain them over time. In the spirit of the CBD, one cannot freely access genetic resources without considering how they will be used, by whom and under what conditions.