1. Present existing BCPs from pilot countries, their process and outcomes as well as identify needs to
achieve the development and legal recognition of BCPs.
2. Highlight priority needs in both pilot and peer-learning countries for the development and
implementation of BCPs.
3. Discuss and jointly develop a programme of work in pilot and peer-learning countries addressing
identified needs, including agreed milestones, deliverables and deadlines.
4. Welcome and Introductions
Introducing the Partner Organisations Facilitating the Meeting
Gino Cocchiaro welcomed the participants and thanked Natural Justice’s partner organisations
and funders for supporting the organisation in this first meeting of the African BCP Initiative. Mr.
Cocchiaro pointed out that this inception meeting’s primary objective is to carry on the momentum
created the previous year and generate a platform of knowledge around BCPs by 1) presenting
experiences, discussing and analysing BCPs, 2) identifying legal guidance and capacity needs and
3) initiating a common programme to foster the development of BCPs and their legal recognition
within national policies.
Mr Bas Verschuuren greeted the participants and presented ETC-COMPASS as a global network
organisation that has a number of years of experience in endogenous development processes with
communities. ETC-COMPAS has taken an endogenous, holistic approach to development that also
includes a spiritual element. Besides contributing its expertise, ETC-COMPAS will also ensure that the
gains of the African BCP initiative are spread globally through its member organisations in Asia and
Latin America.
Barbara Lassen extended a warm welcome to all participants and informed them that the ABS
Initiative works within the framework for Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) to genetic resources and
associated traditional knowledge. She indicated that the ABS Initiative is working with communities
and NGOs such as Natural Justice because they believe that communities should be able to
determine how people access their natural resources and traditional knowledge. She stressed the
importance of looking at these issues from communities’ perspective and developing a bottom up
approach to deal with them. She informed the participants that the ABS Initiative was quite
enthusiastic about this programme of work around the development of BCPs and looked forward to
the first outcomes.
CIKOD is also a partner in the African BCP Initiative however was not able to attend the opening
session of the meeting.
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