Continued funding for DSI and ABS support
As announced in November 2023 at the first meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources (DSI), the Government of Norway and the Bezos Earth Fund have provided funding to the Meridian Institute for broad and inclusive informal work on DSI through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 16th Conference of the Parties. The Government of Norway also announced the continued co-financing of the multi-donor Access and Benefit-Sharing Capacity Development Initiative (ABS CDI), hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Other governments and interested organizations are providing support for additional informal activities. Meridian and ABS CDI will coordinate closely with the CBD Secretariat and the co-chairs of the CBD negotiating group to ensure complementarity – in both timing and substance – between the informal work and ongoing formal processes.
A broad, inclusive, and transparent consultation process
The aim of Meridian and ABS CDI is to conduct an informal process that is broad, inclusive, and transparent. The organizers will strive to engage and gather perspectives from a diverse range of stakeholders, rightsholders, and parties with the aim of aiding negotiators in their understanding of DSI generation, storage, and use, as well as policy options for benefit-sharing from the use of DSI. In particular, Meridian will carry out ongoing consultations with representatives from the private sector with the aim of ensuring they are well acquainted with and participating in the CBD processes. The ABS CDI will organise several webinars and global DSI workshops. Meridian and ABS CDI will also author and/or commission knowledge products to inform and complement the outputs of the meetings outlined below as another way to support the formal negotiation process.
March 2024