TAIWAN'S ACCESS TO GENETIC RESOURCES AND BENEFIT

UNCLAS TAIPEI 000094 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/RSP/TC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV TBIO EAID EAGR ESTH SUBJECT: TAIWAN'S ACCESS TO GENETIC RESOURCES AND BENEFIT SHARING ENVIRONMENT REF: SECSTATE 269625 In response to reftel, AIT's EST section has researched Taiwan's legal framework for access to genetic resources and benefit sharing (abs). Taiwan is neither a member of the United Nations nor a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity. To date, Taiwan also has no laws specifically addressing abs issues. That being said, Taiwan is currently looking into establishing abs rules. Taiwan's National Science Council (NSC) has engaged several professors and experts to research and report on the ethical, legal, and social implications of abs. NSC is also planning to work with several research institutions to hold a number of workshops and symposia over the next few years to consider establishing a comprehensive abs legal framework. In the meantime, according to a professor working at Academia Sinica, Taiwan's premier scientific organization, Taiwan's research institutions are relying on Taiwan's strict endangered species laws to protect access to those species. Academia Sinica also encourages foreign researchers to collaborate with local scientists when doing research in Taiwan and urges those collaborators to return specimens to Taiwan after their research is published. PAAL