Solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems, such as disease and hunger, may come from genetic resources, portions of cells’ DNA extracted from plant, animal, and microbial sources. While valuable genetic resources abound in Africa, policymakers are facing the complex task of determining who should have access to these resources, who should benefit from their use, and how they ought to be conserved. African Perspectives on Access to Genetic Resources: A Handbook on Laws Policies, and Institutions, a recently released report by the Environmental Law Institute® and the Africa-based Southern Environmental and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (SEAPRI), examines how 12 African nations are meeting this challenge and provides a resource for national policymakers interested in developing a common policy framework.
"There is an urgent need for African nations to learn from the experiences of other African nations as they seek to govern genetic resources," said ELI Senior Attorney Carl Bruch. "Moreover, a unified approach can help to improve the bargaining position of African countries, which, if they are operating independently, risk being played off against each other both in the relevant international negotiations and by bioprospectors seeking access to shared resources."
Presented at the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, African Perspectives on Access to Genetic Resources examines laws, policies, and institutions affecting access to genetic resources in 12 African countries: Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal, the Seychelles, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. Funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the study also examines the approach of the African Union and the Southern African Development Community to the issue, as well as addresses the status of genetic resources, the challenges of governing genetic resources, and opportunities for the future.
Encompassing two years of research, the book was co-edited by Kent Nnadozie and Robert Lettington, researchers at the SEAPRI of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi, Kenya. Experts from academia, government, and non-governmental organizations wrote the individual country chapters.
African Perspectives on Access to Genetic Resources can be ordered online at www.elistore.org or by calling 1-800-433-5120. For more information about this publication contact Susan Bass at 202-939-3809 or email pressrequest@eli.org.