T

he House of Representatives and the government endorsed on Thursday two international conventions that will protect the country’s biological diversity and the environment.

The two conventions are the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, and the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. The Nagoya protocol is a global agreement that implements the access and benefit-sharing obligations of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). By endorsing the protocol, Indonesia will be able to control its inherent biodiversity.

With the Rotterdam convention, the government will be able to protect the country from imported hazardous waste.