About the GEF ABS Project
The project consists of four project components as follows.
Download ABS Project Fact sheet
Component 1 hopes to prepare a baseline analysis to identify common assets (particularly relating to traditional knowledge), issues and needs between countries. The component will also develop a roster of technical expertise available locally within the region, and identify initiatives with the potential to support implementation of the Protocol.
Component 2 will assist countries to ratify the Protocol through supporting national authorities. This will include scoping studies to identify any gaps in existing laws and regulations at national level, analyses of implications of ratification, public awareness of the Protocol, workshops targeting parliamentarians and other decision-makers as well as increasing understanding of the importance of genetic resources as a source of innovation/driver for benefit-sharing in the national economies, support for drafting of national law/regulation/policy proposals as well as other documentation required for ratification.
Component 3 will establish an enabling environment for the implementation of basic provisions of the Protocol. This will include stocktaking and assessment of capacities and systems currently in place, development or review of strategy and action plans for the implementation of ABS measures, building capacity among stakeholders with particular emphasis in the Government agencies in charge of making the Protocol operational, laying supportive groundwork for countries to take advantage of biodiscovery and commercialisation opportunities under the Protocol, and developing supportive institutional frameworks for protecting traditional knowledge, innovations and practices and customary uses of biological and genetic resources.
Component 4 addresses regional coordination and technical support. This component will bring together the participating countries at least twice during the life of the project to allow for the maximum level of exchange and networking, and will allow the Executing Agency, the Implementing Agency, and the executing partners in countries and regionally to better coordinate actions to deliver assistance to the countries and come together in a coherent and united front on ABS related issues. This will be supported by the development of a regional communication and technical support mechanism to support national decision-makers. This component also covers technical support to the project, including monitoring and evaluation activities, as well as strategic project planning and coordination.
Project Budget & Timeline
The project is for 3 years beginning in October 2017. The total budget for the project is USD is 1,762,557
Participating Countries
Countries include: Cook Islands1, Federated States of Micronesia2, Fiji3, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa4, Solomon Islands5, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu
Project Staff
The Project has 4 staff, a project Manager, ABS Legal Advisor, ABS Capacity Development Officer and ABS Finance and Technical Assistant.
Manager
Amanda Wheatley
Email: [email protected]
ABS Legal Advisor
Ofa Kaisamy
Email: [email protected]
ABS Capacity Development Officer
Rahul Chand
Email: [email protected]
ABS Technical & Finance Assistant
James Faiumu
Email: jamesf@sprep.org
For Further Information
Access and Benefit Sharing Project
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
P.O Box 240,
Phone | +685 21929 Ext 351 | Fax | +685 20231 | Apia, Samoa
Website | www.sprep.org |Project Budget & Timeline