Recent Developments on Access and Benefit Sharing Relating to Genetic Resources (ABS) in International Law

The present contribution analyses the evolution of the international legal framework on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) relating to genetic resources, from its ambiguous emerging, to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and onto the most recent developments with the adoption of Nagoya Protocol on ABS. It focuses, in particular, on whether, and to what extent, the new Protocol can effectively develop and implement the CBD, highlighting possible problems and critical issues in that regard, as well as the overall interaction of the new regime with other areas of international law, such as the protection of human rights.