. Agenda item 3.5: Ways and means to promote and facilitate access to, and transfer and development of technology, including biotechnology

Agenda Item 3.5: Ways and means to promote and facilitate access to, and transfer of development of technology, including biotechnology

The SBSTTA,

Recalling the relevant provisions of the Convention and, in particular, Article 25, paragraph 2 (c) and Article 20, paragraph 4;

Having examined the note produced by the Secretariat (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/6) and concluded that it met the terms of decision II/4 of the Conference of the Parties;

Recommends to the Conference of the Parties that:

(a) The work of the SBSTTA on access to and transfer of technology should now adopt an integrated approach. It should be conducted within sectoral themes related to the priority issues under the programme of work of the SBSTTA, for example technologies relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of, or making use of, marine biological diversity or agricultural biological diversity;

(b) The future work of the SBSTTA on access to and transfer of technologies should examine technologies that do not cause significant damage to the environment and are: (i) relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and that (ii) make use of genetic resources, pursuant to Article 16 (1) of the Convention. In this respect, the role of the financial mechanism to facilitate the transfer of technology to developing countries should be explored;

(c) The work of the SBSTTA on technologies should examine these categories of technology in the context of the three objectives of the Convention, and should emphasize the importance of the third objective, namely the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources;

(d) The identification of appropriate technologies relevant to the conservation and sustainable utilization of biological diversity should be based on an assessment, at the national level, of technological needs in the Parties, and should focus, inter alia, on means of gaining economic and commercial value from genetic resources;

(e) The SBSTTA should consider ways and means to encourage the greater involvement of the private sector in its work on access to and transfer of technologies by all Parties, particularly by examining options for incentive mechanisms. The Conference of the Parties should encourage all Parties to facilitate the transfer of technologies from the private sector;

(f) The clearing-house mechanism should facilitate the sharing of information and experiences about technological innovation available for Governments to fulfil their obligations under the Convention;