EDITORIAL: Nagoya Protocol adopted

Agreement has been reached on the second major environmental treaty bearing the name of a Japanese city.

The Nagoya Protocol was adopted by a U.N.-sponsored conference on biodiversity that got under way in Nagoya two weeks ago.

Like the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on global warming, Japan as chair of the talks helped produce agreement. It is a big diplomatic achievement that we can be proud of. The conference in Nagoya concluded with smiles and applause, the first environmental meeting to have a cheerful ending in some time.

In addition, world environment policymakers gathered in the central Japanese city also agreed on the Aichi Target, which set policy targets for 2020 to protect ecosystems, and a strategy for financial aid to developing countries to preserve biodiversity.

The U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted in 1992, but efforts to work out a key protocol on worldwide measures to sustain the diversity of life made little headway for 18 years because it must cover wide areas. The Nagoya Protocol represents a breakthrough in the negotiations.

Also called the ABS (access and benefit-sharing) Protocol, it outlines the fair sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources--one of the main objectives of the treaty. The protocol lays down ground rules on how companies in industrial countries should pay developing countries part of the benefits of medicines and other products developed from genetic material obtained in those developing countries.

The deal is designed to ensure that rich biological resources in developing countries will generate wealth for them and make it easier for companies in the industrial world to carry out development and business projects to capitalize on such resources.

The overarching objective of the 20 specific goals of the Aichi Target is the implementation of effective and urgent actions to stop the loss of biodiversity. In 2002, the parties to the Convention committed themselves to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss.

Learning lessons from the complete failure to achieve that goal, negotiators in Nagoya agreed on numerical targets--expanding natural reserves to protect 17 percent of land and inland waters and 10 percent of coastal and marine areas by 2020.

Disagreements between industrial and developing nations have forced compromises, producing some tepid measures.

But we applaud the negotiators for hammering out three international frameworks for stemming the extinction of species.

Negotiations on environmental pacts are too often plagued by attempts to obstruct or lengthen proceedings by taking advantage of the unanimity rule.

A good case in point was last December's talks on a new climate treaty in Copenhagen--the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

At Nagoya, negotiators showed clear willingness to restrain themselves from efforts to disrupt proceedings that ignore international public opinion. A delegate from Namibia, for instance, warned that history would not forgive world political leaders if they repeat the mistakes made in Copenhagen.

Japan, as chair, helped build consensus by carrying out the proceedings carefully and fairly, paying adequate attention to dissenting opinions. There is, however, no time to waste celebrating. The international community's responses to various environmental problems have not been very effective. Unbridled development is destroying ecosystems at an accelerating rate, while international negotiations on new rules for stemming global warming have stalled.

Japan must lead the way in these areas. Japan's bid for environmental leadership benefits greatly from hosting an international conference like the meeting in Nagoya and helping to produce significant achievements.

That increases interest among the Japanese public in related issues, stokes development of Japanese nongovernmental organizations dedicated to such causes and raises Japan's clout internationally.

Japan can exercise really effective leadership only if it takes necessary domestic policy measures ahead of other countries and makes progressive proposals to the world that are underpinned by a convincing domestic track record and solid public support.

Japan must rise to the challenge and demonstrate the solid commitment expected of a country that has hosted two meetings producing valuable environmental protocols.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 31