Meetings

Professor Brown and Professor Jaspars continued to work to inform and assist country delegates and wider stakeholders - from private individuals to activists to industry-  to stimulate debate and progress this important issue.

In January 2020, supported by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the University of Aberdeen, EU-Atlas and iAtlantic projects led by the University of Edinburgh and funded by the EU, and the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative, this invitation-only workshop was attended by diplomats, policy makers, academics, activists, intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and industry.  

The workshop, held on a Chatham House basis, explored and challenged possibilities around how the benefits of the ocean should be shared and how to move forward towards a consensus.

One significant theme sought to be explored was the benefits which can be obtained from the oceans in developing new medicines and other products, how this can be brought about in a sustainable way, and how key medicines, information and technology can be shared widely whilst taking intellectual property law obligations into account.

A series of videos exploring the relationship between intellectual property and marine biodiscovery in the context of ongoing UN negotiations are available on the RSE event website. Other key themes to be explored were approaches to digital sequence information and marine genetic resources, wider forms of benefit sharing, capacity building and technology transfer, Environmental Impact Assessments and assessing deep-sea ecosystems, principles and pragmatism, balancing conservation and sustainable use and multi-stakeholder engagement/the role of science and renewing momentum and motivation.     

• Workshop report

This two day workshop was accompanied by a fully booked public event with members of the public hearing about the UN negotiations from a panel of experts (from the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative, EU-Atlas and iAtlantic, France and Greenpeace). There was an active question and answer session and a discussion of how members of the public could get involved in campaigning on this important issue.

The event closed with the launch of ‘Song of the Oceans’, specially composed by ‘the nation’s favourite living composer’ Professor Paul Mealor and internationally acclaimed poet, Dr Grahame Davies to raise public awareness of these significant negotiations. To listen to the song and for more information, please visit the event website. Kindly supported by the Wellcome Trust

Presentations

• Issues of Divergence and Opportunities for Building Convergence - Janine Coye Felson (PDF 200KB)
• Mare Geneticum - Dr Marcel Jaspars (PDF 1.7MB)
• Enhancing Knowledge and Opportunities Derived from Utilisation of MGR from ABNJ through Open Access, Capacity Building and Inclusive Innovation - Jane Collins (PDF 150KB)
• About Principles, Activities and Resources - Dr Thomas Vanagt (PDF 1MB)

Papers

• Agenda (PDF 150KB)
• Meeting participants (PDF 150KB)
• Meeting law briefing document (PDF 200KB)
• Mare Geneticum: Balancing Governance of Mare Genetic Resources in International Waters (PDF 700KB)
• Mare Geneticum executive summary (PDF 400KB)
• Mare Geneticum legal commentary (PDF 250KB)
• The marine biodiscovery pipeline 2018 (PDF 250KB)
• Aberdeen BBNJ workshop report (PDF 300KB)