TITLE: India calls for biodiversity protection under WTO AUTHOR: IANS PUBLICATION: Indo-Asian News Service DATE: 29 July 2005 URL: http://www.eians.com/stories/2005/07/29/29ind.shtml 29 July 2005 INDIA CALLS FOR BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION UNDER WTO Indo-Asian News Service, New Delhi New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) India has called for an amendment in the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to protect traditional knowledge and biodiversity. In a letter to 31 trade ministers, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath emphasised the need for an aggressive strategy on this issue, saying it had a bearing on large sections poor or disadvantaged people who are holders of traditional knowledge. "We need to form a common position before the Hong Kong meeting for taking the process towards a logical outcome," he said in the letter to the WTO members, referring to the crucial talks of the global trade organisation in December. "While insisting on an amendment to the TRIPs pact - in line with our consistent policy - we could also think of a parallel line of action that is similar to what we did on public health issues during the Doha Ministerial Meeting." The Doha round of WTO negotiations sought a declaration on TRIPs, biodiversity, traditional knowledge and folklore. "If we are able to achieve this at Hong Kong, it would strengthen our hands in getting an eventual amendment," the minister said. The Doha Ministerial Declaration of 2001 had instructed WTO's Council on TRIPs to examine the relationship between the pact and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for the protection of traditional knowledge and folklore. Several countries found that TRIPs obligations did not support the commitments made under the CBD that provided for sustainable use of biodiversity with a view to meeting the food, health and other needs of the growing world population. The convention also encourages equitable sharing of benefits that arise from the utilisation of such knowledge. "Finding a solution for implementing the TRIPs agreement and the CBD in a mutually consistent manner has been at the core of discussions in the TRIPs Council for the last four years," Kamal Nath said. "India, along with other countries having significant biological diversity, have made their submissions to bring about a mutually supportive resolution to the objectives of the TRIPs and the CBD." --Indo-Asian News Service