GIZ and ONEP Join Forces to Organise Nationwide Workshops for Thailand's Nagoya Protocol Implementation and Ratification Readiness

Representatives from the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), the Biodiversity-Based Economy Development Office (BEDO), the Plant Genetic Conservation Project under the Royal Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (RSPG), the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (OPSMOAC), United Analyst and Engineering Consultant Co., Ltd. (UAE), GIZ Thailand, and participants
24 September 2024 — GIZ Thailand, collaborated with the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), organised a nationwide workshop to prepare Thailand for the Nagoya Protocol. The workshop was one of the activities under the cooperation project between ONEP and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), which aimed to prepare the country’s experts, academics and relevant stakeholders for the implementation and ratification of the Nagoya Protocol under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) is an international agreement that ensures fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources. Thailand signed the Nagoya Protocol in 2012 but has yet to ratify it. The project focused on stocktaking and gap analysis to assess readiness for implementing the Nagoya Protocol. The evaluation identified several capacity developments of relevant agencies and stakeholders in Thailand particularly in relation to ABS, highlighting the results of the gaps in the 6 areas that needed addressing, namely 1) legal framework, 2) technical and scientific knowledge, 3) institutional gaps, 4) financial mechanisms, 5) administrative measures, and 6) human capacity. Additionally, the project develops a capacity-building plan and gathers stakeholder input through 5 regional workshops.
Prasert Sirinapaporn, Secretary-General of Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), gave the opening remarks at the workshop in Bangkok and emphasised strengthening legal frameworks, ensuring proper regulation, and preparing sectors to benefit from these resources. Nationwide workshops engaged government, communities, researchers, and industries to foster innovation in agriculture, pharmaceuticals and more. These efforts aim to return benefits to local communities, protect against biopiracy, support Thailand’s ratification of the Protocol, and foster biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

Prasert Sirinapaporn, Secretary General of Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) gave the opening remarks on 24 September 2024 at the Nagoya Protocol’s workshop in Bangkok.
A series of regional workshops were conducted featuring interactive discussions on legal frameworks, community involvement, and mechanisms for benefit-sharing. Each workshop emphasised the importance of engaging local communities in decision-making processes and enhancing their negotiation capabilities. These workshops aimed to empower participants to manage genetic resources effectively.
The regional workshops took place across five regions:
- 8 August 2024 in Chanthaburi
- 23 August 2024 in Nakhon Si Thammarat
- 3 September 2024 in Chiang Mai
- 17 September 2024 in Kanchanaburi
- 24 September 2024 in Bangkok, including a public forum
Various stakeholders provided valuable insights during the workshops. At Bangkok’s public forum, Dr Tanit Changthavorn from BEDO highlighted the importance of including all stakeholders in the benefit-sharing process, suggesting that universities rather than individual researchers should take the lead in negotiations, to ensure fair and transparent agreements, especially concerning intellectual property rights and benefit-sharing with local communities. Additionally, a representative from the local community at the Nakhon Si Thammarat workshop stressed the importance of including women and youth to foster inclusivity in the process of ABS.

Dr Tanit Changthavorn from Biodiversity-Based Economy Development Office (BEDO)

Diagram illustrating local government, local community, and researcher involvement and collaboration in enhancing capacity for the sustainable use and benefit-sharing of genetic resources, presented as part of Chiang Mai workshop.
Development of a framework for preparing and enhancing the country’s capacity for access and share benefits (ABS) in the use of genetic resources, focusing on legal improvements, technical capacity, negotiation skills, community awareness, research promotion, genetic resource management and sector-specific ABS implementation to ensure sustainable resource use and fair benefit-sharing, reinforcing local communities’ role in biodiversity conservation and sustainability development in the long run, which is the core of the Nagoya Protocol.

Pathways for Accessing and Utilising Benefits from Genetic Resources under the Nagoya Protocol.

Kanchanaburi workshop participants.

Participants in Kanchanaburi engage in an interactive session, collaborating on the steps for accessing and utilising genetic resources as part of the Nagoya Protocol workshop.

Participants of the Chiang Mai workshop.

Participants of the Nakhon Si Thammarat workshop.

Local stakeholders from Nakhon Si Thammarat workshop, including community representatives, researchers, and government officials, collaborate to ensure fair access to and equitable benefit-sharing from genetic resources, as illustrated in the step-by-step process in the diagram.

Evaluation session by stakeholders from local government, researchers, and local community in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Participants of the Chanthaburi workshop.

Discussion session on the Nagoya Protocol in Chanthaburi, where local community members, researchers, and government officials discussed equitable access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources.
The Nagoya Protocol contributes significantly to broader national strategies, including the fifth National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) B.E. 2566 – 2570 (2023 – 2027) under National Biodiversity Targets (NBT) 7, adopted from the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF). The target addresses a fair and equitable ABS and emphasises increasing both monetary and non-monetary benefit-sharing from genetic resources. Thailand has draft subsidiary laws under the Biological Diversity Act, improving the laws to clarify access and benefit-sharing processes to address these issues. These steps align with national goals for biodiversity protection, ecosystem management, and inclusive community involvement, supporting Thailand in achieving KM-GBF’s goals.
More Information about Nagoya Protocol: https://www.cbd.int/abs/default.shtml
More information about CCMB: Climate, Coastal, and Marine Biodiversity (CCMB) – Thai-German Cooperation (thai-german-cooperation.info)
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