Lao Cai (VNA) – A conference was held in Lao Cai northern province onDecember 15 to discuss preparations for a project on building Vietnam’s capacityfor ratifying and implementing the Nagoya Protocol on Access to GeneticResources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits.

DirectorGeneral of the Vietnam Environment Administration Nguyen Van Tai said after theNagoya protocol took effect in 2014, the Ministry of Natural Resources andEnvironment and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) have worked together todesign the project.

The project will becarried out over four years with a total budget of 12.5 million USD. The GlobalEnvironment Fund will provide 2 million USD through the UNDP and the remaining willbe funded by the Vietnamese government and technical assistance frominternational organisations.

Dr. Nguyen Van Tai saidthe project was created in order to build a legal corridor for the fair sharingof benefits of genetic resources between Vietnam and those who wish to accessthe country’s genetic resources.

The project’s main goal isto assist with the building of relevant policies on the management of access togenetic resources and the fair sharing of benefits in Vietnam.

It will also pilot modelsof using herbal genetic resources and traditional knowledge on health care ofthe Dao Do ethnic tribe in Lao Cai Province.

Participantsat the conference heard and contributed their feedback on a report on theproject and a plan for the project’s implementation.

Vietnam isranked 16th in the world in terms of bio-diversity.-VNA