Darwin Initiative Project Funding: 'Access to Genetic Resources, Benefit Sharing and Traditional Knowledge in Chile'

To access the four research papers produced under this project, click on each title (in Spanish only):

“El marco legislativo internacional sobre acceso a los recursos geneticos, el reparto equitativo de beneficios y la proteccion del conocimiento tradicional asociado, y su relacion con los derechos de propiedad intelectual” (‘The international legal framework on access to genetic resources, benefit-sharing and the protection of associated traditional knowledge, and its relationship with intellectual property rights’) by Carolina Lasén Diaz.

“Estudio comparado de las regulaciones de acceso a los recursos genéticos, distribución de beneficios y protección del conocimiento tradicional asociado: la Comunidad Andina, Costa Rica y el Borrador de Protocolo Centroamericano” (‘Comparative study of regulations on access to genetic resources, benefit-sharing and the protection of associated traditional knowledge: the Andean Community, Costa Rica and the Draft Central American Protocol’) by Carolina Lasén Diaz and Gabriel Gari.

“Experiencias en Chile de acceso a recursos geneticos, protección del conocimiento tradicional y derechos de propiedad intelectual” (‘Experience in Chile regarding access to genetic resources, protection of traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights’) by Dr Maria Isabel Manzur.

“Análisis del manejo regulatorio e institucional de los recursos genéticos en la legislación chilena” (‘Analysis of the Regulatory and Institutional Framework of Access to Genetic Resources in Chile’) by Luis Flores.

Click here for the final conclusions and recommendations from this project (in Spanish).

Click here for the final conclusions and recommendations from this project (in English).

With funding from the UK Government's Darwin Initiative, FIELD is implementing this project in collaboration with the Fundacion Sociedades Sustentables (Sustainable Societies Foundation / FSS). It aims to raise awareness and promote a policy debate concerning access to genetic resources, the equitable sharing of benefits arising from those resources, and the protection of traditional knowledge in Chile, in accordance with the Convention on Biological Diversity. The project will study Chile's legislation and policy on biodiversity and intellectual property rights, including an analysis of existing contractual arrangements giving access to Chile's genetic resources, and including the granting of intellectual property rights.

Project activities include research papers analysing relevant international policy and legislation on these issues, including case studies and experiences from other countries and regions. The aim of these studies is to identify the main gaps and needs in the country's legal and institutional framework in this area and to recommend ways of addressing them including consideration of elements of a possible national framework on access to genetic resources.

The first project seminar took place in Chile in May 2003 where the draft research papers were discussed by a broad range of stakeholders. FIELD Staff Lawyer Carolina Lasen Diaz attended the seminar, and you can read her summary on-line in English or in Spanish.

Click here for the full Seminar Report in English, or click here for the Spanish version.

Additionally, you can visit the eco-news section of the Institute of Political Ecology in Chile for a Spanish article on the Seminar.

The second project seminar was co-hosted by the Fundación Sociedades Sustentables and FIELD in Santiago, Chile on 4-6 November 2003.

The seminar objectives were to contribute to the development of a national regulation on these issues in the context of the country’s implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and other international commitments. This seminar has the support of Chile’s Comisión Nacional del Medio Ambiente (National Environmental Commission), the Agricultural Studies and Policies Unit (ODEPA) of Chile’s Ministry of Agriculture, and the Centro de Educación y Tecnología (the Education and Technology Centre).

Click here for the report in English of the seminar held in November 2003 in Santiago, or click here for the Spanish version.

For more background about the project, click here   

The following three Powerpoint presentations on this project were the basis for discussions at FIELD's recent side-event in Montreal. Click on each title to access the presentations: 

'Project Summary' - by Carolina Lasén Diaz (FIELD)
'The Experience of Access to Genetic Resources in Chile' - by Maria Isabel Manzur (FSS)
'The Regulation of Access to Genetic Resources in Chile' - by Luis Flores (FSS)

Now Available Online! Read the latest FSS/FIELD project publication on access to genetic resources in Chile, Acceso a Recursos Geneticos, Chile en el Contexto Mundial (Spanish only)