ABSCH Knowledge Base

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 ABS Clearing-House (ABSCH) provides various help tools to assist with website navigation and performing various tasks. Below is a list of various help materials available in the ABSCH.

The Knowledge Base  Accessible through the “Help” menu on the top navigation bar,  you will find various categories of helpful information about the ABSCH, such as introductory information about the ABSCH and the Nagoya Protocol, as well as detailed walkthrough on how to perform specific clearing-house tasks. 

Step-by-step guides  The Secretariat has prepared step-by-step guides to provide detailed instructions to assist with using the ABS Clearing-House and publishing records.

Contextual help   Accessible by clicking on the question mark icon located on the top right corner of the website. Contextual help automatically searches the knowledge base to provide you with information related to the page you are currently on. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)  Accessible through the “Help” menu on the top navigation bar.

TOURs These are virtual explanatory tours that walk users through the features and functionality of a specific page. Tours can be especially useful for first-time users.

Tours are available on the following pages:

• Search
• Country profiles
• Submit - dashboard

Chat with our help desk  Click the green question mark icon located neat the bottom right corner of each page. 

The training website Accessible through the “Help” menu on the top navigation bar or at https://training-absch.cbd.int. The training site is a mirror copy of the official ABSCH to help users familiarize themselves with the various functionalities of the clearing-house.

The ABS Clearing-House works best with the most recent internet browsers (Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer). Please make sure you have the most recent version of your favourite browser installed on your computer.

Recommended browsers:

• For Firefox: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/
• For Chrome: https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/ei
• For Internet explorer: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-ca/internet-explorer/download-ie

If you experience problems installing a new browser version on your computer, one option could be to try downloading "Chrome Portable" which does not require installation.

ABSCH Training site roles

The accounts below have been created for use on the Training Site of the ABS Clearing-House and the Biosafety Clearing-House. Users may log-in to the accounts below to practice submission of national information either as a Publishing Authority (PA) or as a National Authorized User (NAU).

Please note that any records published or modified on the Training Site will NOT affect the official ABSCH site.  

Please also watch the Video about Training Site created in-house by the Secretariat for the Biosafety Clearing-House, however the site is very similar to the ABSCH and can give you a very good idea of how the ABSCH training site works.

Choose any of the accounts below:   

Facilitates connections between users and providers of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.

The  ABS Clearing-House allows providers to share information on contacts, procedures and requirements for accessing genetic resources and traditional knowledge. Users can use the ABS Clearing-House to easily find information how to access these resources in an organized manner, and all in one convenient location. By providing access to reliable information the ABS Clearing-House facilitates the connection between users and providers of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, and therefore promotes opportunities to develop fair and equitable ABS agreements.

Helps users to comply with ABS measures and requirements.

By sharing reliable information regarding national procedures and requirements on ABS, countries can help users of their genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge understand and follow ABS rules and facilitate users’ compliance with national legislation.

Provides tools to help monitor the utilization of genetic resources.

Through a centralized and standardized system the ABS Clearing-House plays a key role in helping 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 provides evidence a permit or its equivalent was issued and that the user has complied with the provider country's ABS rules and procedures. The IRCC can facilitate users of genetic resources to provide the required information to the checkpoints established along the value chain. The information collected or received by checkpoints is then published on the  ABS Clearing-House in a format called a checkpoint communiqué (CPC). The ABS Clearing-House makes this information publicly available and also sends the checkpoint communiqué, as an email, to alert all those involved in the process, and most importantly the Party providing prior informed consent (the provider country), to inform them of the utilization taking place. These tools have been set up in this way in order to allow for monitoring to be possible even when genetic resources leave the provider country's jurisdiction.

Offers reliable and up-to-date information.

The information available on the ABS Clearing-House follows secure publishing procedures. These procedures ensure that users have access to accurate information on ABS, making the process of access and utilization of genetic resources more fair, transparent and reliable.

Promotes awareness-raising and capacity-building for the Nagoya Protocol.

The ABS community can use the ABS Clearing-House to share experiences in implementing the Nagoya Protocol, capacity-building resources, communication materials and publications on ABS to a wider audience. In this way, the ABS Clearing-House plays an important role in building capacity to implement the Protocol and providing easy access to best practices, lessons learned and materials.

Promotes efficiencies in developing capacity-building projects and materials for the Nagoya Protocol

Countries and organizations can share information on their projects, resources and materials for building capacity for the Nagoya Protocol. Having all available information in a single place can help organizations and countries to learn from other projects, to create synergies both at the design and implementation stage of projects and avoid the duplication of efforts in capacity-building activities and materials.

Parties and Non-Parties

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, while providers will find tools to monitor the utilization of these resources. Parties have an obligation to use the ABS Clearing-House to share certain information of particular importance to the implementation of the Protocol. Non-Parties to the Protocol are also encouraged to participate and use the ABS Clearing-House to share the same information required by Parties.

Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs)

IPLCs can use the ABS Clearing-House to share information on how to access traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources, such as community protocols and procedures and customary laws. They can also access and contribute to the ABS Clearing-House with awareness-raising and capacity-building materials on ABS in their own indigenous languages.

Private sector and research institutions

Private sector and research institutions utilizing or seeking access to genetic resources can also benefit from the ABS Clearing-House by finding reliable and up-to-date information on how to access genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. They can also use the ABS Clearing-House to share information on the model contractual clauses, codes of conduct, guidelines and best practices that they have developed.

Organizations involved in capacity-building for the Nagoya Protocol

Organizations involved in capacity-building for the Nagoya Protocol can share capacity-building resources and materials and information on their projects or activities, including lessons learned from their implementation. In exchange, they are able to access information on projects or resources registered by other actors, and therefore, create opportunities for capitalizing best practices and developing coordinated approaches to building and developing capacity.

International and non-governmental organizations and others

International and non-governmental organizations and others can raise awareness and promote capacity building on ABS through the ABS Clearing-House. The ABS Clearing-House offers a space to share materials, general literature and learning material related to ABS and the Nagoya Protocol. These resources can contribute to promote ratification and implementation of the Nagoya Protocol, as well as increase opportunities for collaboration among the ABS community.

You can edit a record that you have published from the Submit page or the Search page.

From the Submit page:

1. Sign in to the Submit page.
2. On the Dashboard:

• Click on the number in the “Published” column of the respective record type. This will open the page with the summary of all the records for that record type.

        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. 

        OR

•  Click on the record type to access the page with the summary of all the records for that record type. 

      3. Find your published record and click on the ‘edit’ icon.

      4. In the “Submission form”, fill in the fields and complete the submission process.

From the Search page:

1. Find your record and click on it to open it.
2. Click on the Edit button on the top right corner.
3. In the “Submission form”, edit the required fields and complete the submission process.

Note: in order to see the Edit button in Search, you need to be signed in to the BCH with your registered user account. 

Important Remarks: 

An edited record goes through the same validation process as a newly created record. National Records are validated and published by the BCH National Focal Point in the BCH and the ABS Publishing Authority in the ABSCH. Reference Records are verified for the accuracy and completeness and then published by the Secretariat. Once the record has been validated and published, the user who had submitted the request will receive an automatic e-mail notification informing that user that the record has been published. In some cases, the user may receive a request for more changes prior to validation.

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 Clearing-House allows you to share your draft records with other users. 

During the submission process, as soon as you click on the Save Draft button, two buttons appear on the top right corner of the online form: Share and PDF.

These buttons are visible when you open any draft record.

• You can click on the PDF button to export data into a PDF file that you can download and then share.

           OR

• You can click on the  Share button – this is the recommended option.

“Share” button:

Once you click on the Share button, a pop-up box will open, and you will be presented with two options: “Send by URL” and “Send by email”. 

Perform ONE of the following:

• In “Send by URL”, click on the Create link button. The link will be generated and displayed in the same pop-up box. Click Copy and then paste the link into your e-mail message.

Important Note: Recipients do not have to have a registered Clearing-House account to access the link and will be able to open the link without logging into the Clearing House. 

• Click on the “Send by email” tab. Enter the e-mail address(es) of the recipient(s) you wish to receive your draft document. TIP: Use commas to separate multiple email addresses. Click Send. The link will be automatically generated and included in the e-mail message. 

Important Note: Recipients must have a registered Clearing-House account with the email address(es) that you have entered, and must log into the Clearing-House in order to view the draft record.

Additional Information:

In both case, the shared link will be active for 3 months only and any updates made will be visible to the recipients until the link expires.

Please also watch the helpful 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  “Share” feature of the Search page allows users to share search results or a single record with others. There are three ways to share clearing-house records: by URL, by email or by embedding record(s) into another webpage. 

The Share button can be found in two distinct locations:

1. At the top-right of the main Search page: clicking on the Share button at this location allows you to share the entire search results. All global filters and sub-filters you select will be represented in the URL, email, or embed that you share.
2. At the top-right of a published record: clicking on the Share button at this location allows you to share this particular record. 

HOW TO SHARE:

Once you click on the Share button, you will be presented with a pop-up box containing three share options: “Link”, “Embed” and “Email”:

• In the “Link” option, click on the Generate link button. A link will be displayed in the same pop-up box. Click on the Copy button and paste the link where you wish to share the content. 

• In the “Email” option, type the e-mail address(es) of the recipient(s) you wish to receive the record or search results. Click Send. The link will be automatically generated and included in the e-mail message. TIP: Use commas or semi-colons to separate multiple email addresses.

• In the “Embed” option, type the domain where you intend to embed the page and click on Generate code. A script will be generated and displayed in the same pop-up box. Click on the Copy button and paste the script where you wish to embed the content. 

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!)