SDG #15 is to “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”
Within SDG #15 are 12 targets, of which we here focus on Target 15.6:
Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed
Target 15.6 has one indicator:
Indicator 15.6.1: Number of countries that have adopted legislative, administrative and policy frameworks to ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits
The key treaty of relevance for this target is the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
The intention for Contracting Party countries to the treaty is to provide access to and transfer of knowledge and materials.
The Contracting Parties to the treaty use a platform called the ABSCH (Access and Benefit Sharing Cleating House) to report. ABSCH was at the initiative of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing. The protocol is an addition to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It's named after the Japanese city of its adoption by the convention's parties, aiming for access to genetic resources to be fair.
There’s little uniformity among the Contracting Parties on who’s adopted relevant legislation. Around only 137 of the 192 UN member states have ratified the Nagoya Protocol altogether. By contrast, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture has 150 parties.
