What is the real relationship between the CBD Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing and WIPO and the WTO?

This report analyzes the relationship between the CBD Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) and the WIPO and WTO, specifically regarding patent disclosures of genetic resources and traditional knowledge, as the ABS group meets in Geneva in January 2008.

• The Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) of the Convention on Biological Biodiversity (CBD) is meeting in Geneva from 2 to 25 January 2008 for the first time. Over seven years of operation, the group has worked to operationalize the CBD's primary mechanism for sustainable use regarding the access and benefit sharing of genetic resources, achieving successes such as the Bonn Guidelines on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of the Benefits arising from their Utilization, though it has struggled with negotiating an international regime on Access and Benefit Sharing.
• There are substantive and political links between the CBD, WIPO, and the WTO, specifically regarding the protection of traditional knowledge and requirements for the disclosure of origin of genetic resources in patent applications. The author suggests the ABS Working Group's move to Geneva may be an attempt to leverage the momentum of WIPO and the WTO, increase the profile of ABS negotiations, or reclaim space on indigenous and environmental issues that WIPO and the WTO have taken over.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2007). What is the real relationship between the CBD Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing and WIPO and the WTO? https://www.ciel.org/reports/fourth-quarter-2007-what-is-the-real-relationship-between-the-cbd-working-group-on-access-and-benefit-sharing-and-wipo-and-the-wto-2/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. What is the real relationship between the CBD Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing and WIPO and the WTO? 2007. https://www.ciel.org/reports/fourth-quarter-2007-what-is-the-real-relationship-between-the-cbd-working-group-on-access-and-benefit-sharing-and-wipo-and-the-wto-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=What is the real relationship between the CBD Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing and WIPO and the WTO? |date=1 December 2007 |url=https://www.ciel.org/reports/fourth-quarter-2007-what-is-the-real-relationship-between-the-cbd-working-group-on-access-and-benefit-sharing-and-wipo-and-the-wto-2/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2007what, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{What is the real relationship between the CBD Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing and WIPO and the WTO?}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2007}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ciel.org/reports/fourth-quarter-2007-what-is-the-real-relationship-between-the-cbd-working-group-on-access-and-benefit-sharing-and-wipo-and-the-wto-2/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }