ABSCH Knowledge Base

The Date filter appears as the Global Filter on top of the Search page and also as a Sub-filter for certain record types. It always functions the same way. 

The Date filter allows users to search for records published within (i) a pre-determined date range (e.g. “Last 7 Days”); (ii) a specified date range (“Custom Range”); or (iii) on a specific date. The instructions below describe how to perform the 2 latter actions.

How to specify a Date range:

Step 1: On the Search page, click on the Date global filter and then click on the calendar icon. 

Step 2: In the first calendar on the left, find the “from” month and year:

• Use the arrows or select the month and year from the two drop-down lists. 
• Click on the specific date of interest.

Step 3: In the second calendar on the right, find the “to” month and year: 

• Use the arrows or select the month and year from the two drop-down lists. 
• Click on the specific date of interest.

 NOTE: As you select dates, the calendars on the left and on the right might move/change because the arrows apply to both calendars. 

 TIP: Your selected dates will be displayed at the bottom of the calendar. 

 Step 4: Click on the Apply button to activate your date filter.

  Your selected Date range appears above the free text search box. 

How to select a Specific Date:

Step 1: On the Search page, click on the Date global filter and then click on the calendar icon. 

Step 2: In the first calendar on the left, find the required month and year:

• Use the arrows or select the month and year from the two drop-down lists. 

Step 3: Double-click on the specific date of interest. 

 TIP: Your selected date will be displayed at the bottom of the calendar.

Step 4: Click on the Apply button activate your date filter. 

 Your selected Date range appears above the free text search box. 

Please also watch the video below, created in-house by the Secretariat:

The clearing-house allows you to subscribe to receive emails when records that match your custom search queries are published in the clearing-house. For example, you may wish to setup an email alert to be notified when competent national authority records are added or updated by a specific country or region.

This can be done through the Email Alerts tab in Submit or “My saved searches” feature in Search. Please note that when you create email alerts using one of those features, your saved custom search queries will automatically be displayed in both places.

How to save a query and create an e-mail alert:

1. Sign-in to the clearing-house.
2. On the Submit page, click on the “Email Alerts” tab.

        OR

   On the Search page, click on the“My saved searches”tab.

3. Under the “My Alerts” section, click on the “Add new” button.
4. In the pop-up window that opens:

                --Type the title for your search query.

                --Under the Search section select the filters of interest.

                --Check the box “Send me an email when records relevant to this search are added or updated”.

                --Click on the Save button.

NOTE: When you are on the Search page, you can also start by first selecting the required filters, and then clicking on theSave this searchbutton. Since the filters have already been selected, you will only need to name your custom query search and save it. Any time you want to see all your saved search queries,  click on the “My saved searches” tab. Your search queries are displayed in the “My Alerts” section. You must be signed in to perform the described functions.

“My Alerts” section: What do the different icons mean?

Email alerts frequency

By default, email alerts are sent out weekly. However, you can change the frequency for receiving email alerts from the clearing-house. To do so: from the “Select frequency” drop-down list, select one of the following: Daily, Weekly, Monthly or Never (this option allows you to stop/pause receiving the alerts that are already created without deleting them).

Overview alerts

In the Overview alerts section, you can select the “Email me” check box to add an overview section to your email alert, which will contain a summary of all new or updated records published in the clearing-house within your selected frequency. Deselecting this option will remove the summary.

Unsubscribe

You can unsubscribe from receiving email alerts by clicking on the Unsubscribe link appearing at the bottom of your alert email.

Please also watch helpful videos below, created in-house by the Secretariat.

(Videos were recorded in the BCH. However, the ABS Clearing-House (ABSCH) functions exactly the same way!)

The ABS Clearing-House Search function makes it easy for countries to monitor checkpoint communiqués (CPCs) that are issued from the utilization of genetic resources from their country. See the steps below on how to search for CPCs, and how to create an email alert when CPCs are added or updated. 

Click on “Search” on the navigation bar of the ABS Clearing-House. Under the Global Filters, navigate to “Record types”. 

Under “National Records” select “Checkpoint Communiqués” 

Scroll down, where you can find “sub-filters” on the left-hand side of the screen. Select “Source country” 

Use the search bar to look for your country, or scroll through the list to find the country and click “Apply” at the bottom of the pop-up screen. 

This will show you all the CPCs that were published list your country as the source of the genetic resources country. To save this search and get alerts when there are updates, scroll back up to the navigation bar, and click on “Save this search” on the right-hand side of the screen. 

Create a title for your search and click save so you can receive email alerts if any CPCs are added or updated that list your country as the source of the genetic resources. Make sure you are logged into your ABS Clearing-House account so that the email alert is saved to your profile.

All your saved searches will appear in the “My saved searches” tab. This is where you can edit you saved searches and change how often you would like to receive alerts.

The ABS Clearing-House search function makes it easy to look for internationally recognized certificates of compliance (IRCCs) that are issued to users of genetic resources in your country when they are not confidential. 

This search is based on the country address of the “Person or entity to whom prior informed consent (PIC) was granted” published in the certificate.

You can find the steps to do so below: 

Click on “Search” on the navigation bar of the ABS Clearing-House. Under the Global Filters, navigate to “Record types”. 

Under “National Records” select “Internationally Recognized Certificates of Compliance” 

Scroll down, where you can find “Sub-Filters” on the left-hand side of the screen. Select “Country of person/entity to whom Prior Informed Consent (PIC) was granted (when not confidential)” 

Use the search bar to look for your country, or scroll through the list to find the country and click “Apply” at the bottom of the pop-up screen.  This will show you all the IRCCs that were granted to users in your country. 

Save the search and create an email alert. 

To save this search and get alerts when there are updates, scroll back up to the navigation bar, and click on “Save this search” on the right-hand side of the screen. 

Create a title for your search, and click save so you can receive email alerts when there are updates. Make sure that you are logged in to the ABS Clearing-House to save the search to your profile. 

All your saved searches will appear in the “My saved searches” tab. This is where you can edit you saved searches and change how often you would like to receive alerts.

By publishing national information on the ABS Clearing-House, Parties to the Nagoya Protocol and other governments help both users and providers of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. 

Users can find the information they need to access genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. Providers of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge will find the necessary tools to monitor the utilization of these resources. By sharing reliable and complete information on national ABS measures and requirements through the ABS Clearing-House, countries can help users of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge understand and follow ABS rules and thus enhance compliance with national legislation. The ABS Clearing-House is thus creating opportunities for the development of ABS agreements and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits coming from the use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. 

Also, through a centralized and standardized system, the ABS Clearing-House helps providers monitor how their genetic resources are being used throughout the value chain. When a provider country grants access to a genetic resource and publishes information on the permit or its equivalent, the ABS Clearing-House automatically generates an internationally recognized certificate of compliance (IRCC). The IRCC helps national checkpoints collect and communicate the information on the use of genetic resources through the ABS Clearing-House to all those involved in the process. The form for communicating the information collected or received by checkpoints is called checkpoint communiqué. 

Non-Parties to the Protocol are encouraged to share all relevant ABS information through the ABS Clearing-House in the same conditions as Parties do.

The purpose of including information in the ABS Clearing-House is mainly for:

• providing information to users of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge on the procedures for access; and
• facilitating the monitoring of the utilization of genetic resources worldwide.

It is in the interest of the country to provide the information in several languages in order to reach out to the biggest number of users of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge and to help ensure that they can understand the rules for accessing such resources. As internationally recognized certificates of compliance and checkpoints communiqués are meant to facilitate the monitoring of the utilization of genetic resources in an international environment, it is important that checkpoints and national authorities dealing with these records are able to understand their content.

The Compare button is seen when you open a record on the Search page or from the summary list that is accessed through the Dashboard (when you click on the ‘list’ icon or on the record type). The purpose of this feature is to allow users to compare the current version of a record with any previous versions. The Compare button is visible only when more than one version of a record exists.

Instructions

1. Open the record through the Dashboard or in Search.
2. Click on Compare and select a version from the drop-down list.

Differences between the two versions will be highlighted. Green - means this information was added;Red(or may appear pink) - this information was deleted.

Please also watch the helpful videobelow:

(The video was recorded in the BCH. However, the ABS Clearing-House (ABSCH) functions exactly the same way!)

How to submit “National Records”

INSTRUCTIONS:

Step 1: Sign in to the Submit page.

Step 2: On the Dashboard:

• Click on the ‘+’ icon next to a record type to access the online form for creating a new record.

                                       --OR--

• Click on the ‘list icon’ icon next to a record type. This will open the page with the summary of all the records for that record type. Click on the Add New button.

                                       --OR--

• Click on the record type to access the page with the summary of all the records for that record type, and then click on the Add New button.

         An “Introduction” will open.

Step 3: Click on the “Submission form”.

Step 4: Fill in the “Submission form” and complete the fields according to the instructions. Mandatory fields are indicated with a red asterisk (*). 

You can also save your record by clicking on the Save Draft button located on the top and bottom right corners. Frequently saving your records is recommended, especially, in case of intermittent internet connections.

Step 5: Click on “Review” to verify the information in your record. If some of the mandatory fields have not been completed, the “Review” will highlight them. You will not be able to publish the record unless all mandatory fields are completed.

Step 6: If you are a BCH-NFP / ABSCH-PA:  Click on the “Publish” tab and then again on the Publish button. As a result, the record will be published.

Step 7: If you are a CPB-NFP / ABS-FP or NAU: Click on the “Publish” tab and then on the Request Publication button. A "Publishing Request" box will appear. Write an additional message, if you wish, and click on the Send Request button. An e-mail message will then be sent to the BCH-NFP/ABSCH-PA with your request. The record will now have the "Pending approval" status. Once it is published, you will be notified by e-mail and the record’s status will change from "Pending approval” to “Published”.

Step 8: If you are a BCH-NFP / ABSCH-PA and need to publish the record created by a CPB-NFP / ABS-FP or NAU: All records pending your approval are visible on your Dashboard. Whenever a new request for publishing is made, you will receive an automated "publishing request" message at your registered e-mail.  Click on the link provided in the e-mail message. You will be prompted to log into the Clearing-House with your registered account. Once logged in, you will see the details of the "Publishing Request" record with the following buttons: Approve, Edit, Reject. Click on Approve to publish the record. Respectively, you can also edit or reject the request. If you decide to reject a request, the application will allow you to specify the reason.

Important Remarks: 

• Each National Record that is created (“draft”, “pending request” and “published”) is added to your Government’s list of national records that is shared through the Dashboard among all the national users for your country (Focal Points and NAUs).
• Once a publication request is sent to the BCH-NFP / ABSCH-PA, the NAU and CPB-NFP / ABS-FP will no longer be able to edit the record. They will only be able to cancel it by opening it from the Dashboard and then clicking on the Cancel request button.

Please also watch the videos below, created in-house by the Secretariat:

How to submit “Reference Records”

Reference Records include a number of relevant resources and information. They can be submitted by any registered user (Parties, Non-Parties, governments, civil society and relevant stakeholders). However, it is the responsibility of the Secretariat to verify the accuracy and completeness of these records prior to their publication. Therefore, Reference Records can be published by the Secretariat only.

**********************************************************

INSTRUCTIONS:

Step 1: Sign in to the Submit page.

Step 2: On the Dashboard:

• Click on the ‘+’ icon next to a record type to access the online form for creating a new record.

                                   --OR--

• Click on the ‘list icon’ icon next to a record type. This will open the page with the summary of all the records for that record type. Click on the Add New button.

                                   --OR--

• Click on the record type to access the page with the summary of all the records for that record type, and then click on the Add New button.

          An “Introduction” will open.

Step 3: Click on the “Submission form”.

Step 4: Fill in the “Submission form” and complete the fields according to the instructions. Mandatory fields are indicated with a red asterisk (*). 

You can also save your record by clicking on the Save Draft button located on the top and bottom right corners. Frequently saving your records is recommended, especially, in case of intermittent internet connections.

Step 5: Click on “Review” to verify the information in your record. If some of the mandatory fields have not been completed, the “Review” will highlight them. You will not be able to publish the record unless all mandatory fields are completed.

Step 6: Click on the “Publish” tab and then on the Request Publication button. A "Publishing Request" box will appear where you may enter, if you wish, an additional message that will accompany your request. Then, click on the Send Request button to send your request to the Secretariat. The record will now have the "Pending approval" status. Once it is published, you will be notified by e-mail and the record’s status will change from "Pending approval” to “Published”.

Important Remarks

• Once a publication request is sent to the Secretariat, you will no longer be able to edit the record. You will only be able to cancel it by opening it from the Dashboard and then clicking on the Cancel request button.
• Contacts (CON) are the only records that can be published by any registered user. 

Please also watch the video below, created in-house by the Secretariat:

(The video was recorded in the BCH. However, the ABS Clearing-House (ABSCH) functions exactly the same way!)

The most convenient way to find national information on the ABS Clearing-House is through the country profiles (https://absch.cbd.int/countries/). The country profile contains all national information relevant to ABS made available by a country, including National Focal Point (NFP), Competent National Authority (CNA),  legislative, administrative or policy measures on access and benefit-sharing (MSR), and ABS procedures (PRO).  However, many Parties are in various stages of developing their legal framework for ABS and making that information available on the ABS Clearing-House.  In the case that you do not find the national information you are searching for, we suggest to contact the NFP or the CNA.  

The ABS National Focal Point is designated to liaise with the Secretariat and make information available on procedures for accessing genetic resources and establishing mutually agreed terms (MAT).  The competent national authority is responsible for granting access, among other things, and for advising on applicable procedures and requirements for obtaining prior informed consent (PIC) and entering into MAT.

Signatory is a means of authentication and expresses the willingness of the signatory state to continue the treaty-making process. The signature qualifies the signatory state to proceed to ratification, acceptance or approval. When a country is a signatory it indicates an obligation on their part to refrain, in good faith, from acts that would defeat the object and the purpose of the treaty.

Ratification defines the international act whereby a state indicates its consent to be bound to a treaty if the parties intended to show their consent by such an act. The institution of ratification grants states the necessary time-frame to seek the required approval for the treaty on the domestic level and to enact the necessary legislation to give domestic effect to that treaty.  

Accession is the act whereby a state accepts the offer or the opportunity to become a party to a treaty already negotiated and signed by other states. It has the same legal effect as ratification. As stated in Article 33, paragraph 2, the Nagoya Protocol shall enter into force for a State or regional economic integration organization that ratifies, accepts or approves this Protocol or accedes thereto on the ninetieth day after the date on which that State or regional economic integration organization deposits its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession. Thus, 90 days after the State deposits the relevant instruments, the Nagoya Protocol enters into force and the State is a Party to the Protocol. For example, Senegal deposited their instrument of ratification on 3 March 2016, and the Protocol entered into force on 01 June 2016. At that point, Senegal acceded to the Nagoya Protocol, or became a Party to the Protocol.