Overview
The Republic of Korea has engaged cautiously on the operational details of the multilateral mechanism. At the close of COP16 it said that the proposed thresholds and contribution rates had not been sufficiently discussed and stressed the need for periodic review. It operates a national ABS regime under its 2017 Act on Access to and Utilization of Genetic Resources and Benefit-Sharing, and at SBI-6 it cautioned against creating hierarchies among international ABS instruments, noting that Parties may develop specialised ABS agreements provided they do not run counter to the objectives of the Nagoya Protocol. It has not reported domestic measures to encourage Korean companies to contribute to the Cali Fund.
Goals
- Ensure thresholds and contribution rates are properly discussed and periodically reviewed
- Avoid hierarchies between the Nagoya Protocol and other ABS instruments
- Keep obligations on Korean DSI users predictable and proportionate