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| Capacity Building for Biotrade (CBBT) Project |
IntroductionInnovative approaches to business, investment and trade policies are required to successfully address the challenges associated in fighting poverty, unemployment, and the overexploitation of natural resources leading to biodiversity loss and the rapid deterioration of ecosystem services. Promoting the commercialization of biodiversity-based products, or “Biotrade” is being increasingly recognized as a means of providing incentives for the sustainable management of biodiversity while simultaneously creating employment opportunities and livelihoods. Moreover, the demand of many biodiversity-based products such as natural cosmetics, medicines, food and food ingredients is ever increasing and shows the potential for further growth. The Capacity Building for Biotrade (CBBT) Initiative addresses national and international challenges in promoting Biotrade. International Level CBBT activities CBBT activities in and for Nepal
Biotrade defined Trade in biodiversity-based businesses or Biotrade refers to those activities of collection, production, transformation, and commercialization of goods and services derived from native biodiversity under the criteria of environmental, social and economic sustainability. For this project, this definition will be used with the understanding that it only includes “native” biodiversity resources, which means only those species which develop, occur naturally, or have existed in a country for many years. The meaning of “native” species thus differs from the meaning of “endemic” species, which are unique to one area/ country. International LevelThe demand for many biodiversity-based products such as natural cosmetics, medicines, food and food ingredients has grown significantly and shows considerable potential for further growth. However, in many instances, the supply of biodiversity-based products has failed to keep up with the rising demand. At the same time, some developing countries are still unaware of the opportunities offered by Biotrade, and in places where they are aware they face challenges in seizing these opportunities effectively. At national level, further measures are needed to raise awareness of Biotrade opportunities in the private as well as in the public sector. At the international level, before gaining access to export markets, many biodiversity-based products need to comply with complex technical regulations and standards that address issues such as product safety and consumer-health protection. Developing countries need support to build institutional and technical capacity for meeting these complex technical requirements and for effectively using voluntary sustainability standards as a marketing tool, including Geographical Indicators (GIs), Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanisms. They also need support for more effective participation in international trade negotiations affecting Biotrade, such as those on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). A Two-pronged Approach:The CBBT initiative takes a two-pronged approach to addressing national and international challenges in promoting Biotrade: International Level: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNEP-UNCTAD) Capacity Building Task Force (CBTF) take the lead in implementing international level activities. CBTF provides support to countries on issues related to trade and environment in pursuit of national sustainable development and poverty reduction goals. CBTF has a history of providing capacity building support to a number of countries. National Level: GIZ (former GTZ) takes the lead in implementing national level activities in three pilot countries. This is done in close cooperation with national multi-stakeholder task teams on environment and trade in the following countries:
The Roles of Other International Players:
Principles of Biotrade:CBTF and GIZ agree to leave it to countries to decide what, under their economic, ecological and socio political conditions should be included in Biotrade; however, UNCTAD has formulated the following seven underlying principles:
Objectives of the Project:
Outputs:
Activities in and for NepalThe Nepal CBBT Project has the following objectives which are to be achieved through a set of interrelated and mutually supportive activities on the national and international levels:
This project is funded by the Federal German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development through its Monterrey Fund and implemented by CBTF in partnership with GIZ. Challenges:The selected essential oils are wild crafted items and are new in the market. Hence, the producers face difficulty in entering the market. Given the capacity of Nepal’s producers and exporters, weak communication, documentation and finance is a problem. Additionally, environment and labor problems in Nepal are a challenge. Further, the certification requirements for these products are a significant challenge for the producers. Nepal does not yet have a proper infrastructure that suffices these requirements, so producers have to go through complicated certification processes in India or other countries and have to bear significant cost in the procedure. Working Modality - Project Organization Chart Nepal:
Process and Project Activities:In Nepal, where Biotrade is still a relatively new topic, the project is implemented with close guidance from the Project Steering Committee and technical advice from the Project Advisory Group. In the initial phase, the Project Advisory Group (PAG) was set up as the central forum which accompanies the project and meets regularly to review the project status and activities and to decide on next steps. Following the definition of the guiding principles for CBBT Nepal, the PAG short listed potential Biotrade products. Studies on the market potential and trade barriers for biodiversity-based products were then conducted. Based on these studies and recommendations from the PAG, Juniper, Anthopogen and Wintergreen essential oils were prioritized and taken to the next step of the project. In cooperation with the Trade and Export Promotion Centre of Nepal (TEPC), four interested exporters of the above mentioned essential oils – accompanied by TEPC personnel and GIZ Nepal – participated in BioFach 2011, the world organic trade fair in Nurnberg, Germany. Before attending BioFach 2011, four modules of training on quality and trade fair participation were conducted. Further, to facilitate effective participation in Biofach, a joint marketing strategy (DOWNLOAD), a group label (“Essential oils of Nepal”), a joint brochure (DOWNLOAD) and a video documentary reflecting these three prioritized essential oils and the efforts of the four companies were developed.
A detailed results chain can be DOWNLOADED here.
Milestones Achieved (until March 2011):
Way Forward:
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