Access and Benefit Sharing E-Learning Series

This module aims to provide an introduction to access and benefit sharing and its implications for
Indigenous peoples and local communities. It explores the implications of a range of rights and
responsibilities and how communities may be able to realize them in practice.
This module is part of a toolkit for community facilitators on biocultural community protocols. The
complete toolkit, including additional e-learning modules, is available at: www.community-protocols.org.

Objectives
1. To gain a general understanding of the concept of access and benefit sharing;
2. To identify specific provisions in legal frameworks that relate to access and benefit sharing,
including the rights and responsibilities of multiple stakeholders;
3. To highlight the opportunities and challenges that can arise from the current international
framework for access and benefit sharing; and
4. To explore how communities can utilize these rights in support of local priorities and plans.

This e-learning module may be useful if your community has any of the following:

•  A close relationship with a particular territory, area, or resource;
•  Traditional knowledge about plants or animals that may relate to genetic resources;
•  Customary ownership, stewardship, or use of a particular genetic resource;
•  Existing or potential interactions with external actors such as government agencies, researchers,  or the private sector regarding these resources or knowledge;
•  Questions or concerns about how external actors engage with your community, particularly
  regarding traditional knowledge and genetic resources; and/or community