Participation in Policy-making for Access and Benefit-sharing: Case studies and recommendations

This short briefing paper presents the main findings of a collaborative research project on stakeholder participation in the development of policy to implement the Biodiversity Convention’s objectives on access to genetic resources, traditional knowledge, and benefit-sharing. While the importance of securing active participation in such policy processes is increasingly recognised, in practice non-governmental actors play a fairly limited role in decision-making, particularly where weaker groups such as indigenous and local communities are concerned. The paper provides an overview of case studies of participation in the development of: South Africa’s Biodiversity Policy, India’s Biodiversity Bill, the Philippines’ Executive Order No. 247 on Access to Genetic Resources, and Peru’s draft sui generis regime to protect traditional knowledge. It identifies some common lessons arising from the studies, as well as recommendations for securing effective participation.