The first Joint Meeting of the IGC and CBD African Working Groups: Nairobi, Kenya

This meeting, organized by Natural Justice, International Development Law Organization (IDLO) and the ABS Capacity Initiative for Africa, brought together key negotiators from the African working groups of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Intergovernmental Committee on intellectual property, genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore (IGC) for the first time. The aim of the meeting was to establish some co-ordination and harmonization between the two groups, given the close linkages in their work to develop international instruments on access and benefit sharing (CBD) and intellectual property, genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore (IGC). Whilst the 2 day meeting allowed the negotiators to discuss and share information, it also provided an opportunity for them to plan their continued collaboration into 2010. Natural Justice looks forward to supporting the groups throughout this process.