On 31 January 2012, Mr. Jakkrit Srivali, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations, in the capacity of Charg? d’Affaires a.i., represented the Royal Thai Government in the signing of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation to the Convention on Biological Diversity at the United Nations Headquarters, New York. On this occasion, Thailand became the 83rd Signatory and the second country in ASEAN (after Indonesia) to sign the Nagoya Protocol.
The said protocol was adopted by the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan. It is an international agreement aimed at sharing the benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources in a fair and equitable manner by taking into account all rights over resources and technologies, thereby contributing to the conservation and the sustainable use of biological diversity.
The signing of the protocol, therefore, is a clear sign that Thailand attaches great importance to genetic resources, as a country that is rich in natural resources and biological diversity.
The Nagoya Protocol will enter into force 90 days after the deposit of the fiftieth instrument of ratification. After signing the Protocol, the countries then have to undergo their internal process before ratifying it. Currently, two countries (Gabon and Jordan) have ratified the Protocol, although many countries are aiming to ratify the Protocol within this year, in time for the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, to be held in October 2012 in Hyderabad, India.
The ratification process in Thailand will adhere to the provisions of Article 190 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2550. The process will include public hearings, with the involvement of stakeholders and the general public. Ratification will also require the further consideration and approval of the Cabinet and the National Assembly.
The full text of the Nagoya Protocol (in English) can be found at http://www.cbd.int/abs/text/
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th