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The contribution of ABS to the Sustainable Development Goals

Published on
April 29, 2021

How does access and benefit-sharing contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals? A new compendium examines case studies to answer this question. In a webinar on April 14th, the Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT) presented the compendium and hosted a panel discussion on three of the compendium’s cases.

The compendium, titled ‘The contribution of Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) to the Sustainable Development Goals’, is the result of a research project on how access and benefit-sharing (ABS) can contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, as well as to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The compendium examines eleven cases, describing the context in which ABS partnerships were developed in Asia, Africa, Latin America, including actors involved, the resources accessed and the process which led to ABS arrangements. Section II of the compendium provides key findings and conclusions, based on information gathered from the cases.

One of the case studies is on the cosmetics company Natura, which developed cosmetic products based on Amazonian biodiversity in Brazil. Natura established long-term partnerships with communities in the Amazon region for the development and sourcing of cosmetic ingredients: Andiroba oil and Murumuru butter. Mutually agreed terms (MAT) were reached between Natura, the Brazilian government and three local community organisations to determine what monetary and non-monetary benefits would be shared. It was concluded that the ABS agreement contributed to the wellbeing and livelihood of the local communities (SDG 1, 8), gender equity (SDG 5), conservation projects and the enhancement of the supply chains (SDG 15), empowerment of local people (SDG 10) and capacity-building through environmental education and management trainings (SDG 4).

The webinar on April 14th introduced the research project and discussed the case studies, their key components, general lessons learned and good practices. The panel discussion stressed the importance of long-term partnerships, community engagement and communication between actors involved.

The compendium has been published on the ABS Clearing-House. A recording and the presentation slides of the webinar are also available.