Genetic Heritage Management Council and the coordination of the access and benefit-sharing policy in Brazil

Consejo de Gestión del Patrimonio Genético y la coordinación de la política de acceso y distribución de beneficios en Brasil

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to discuss the functioning of the Genetic Heritage Management Council (CGen, acronym in Portuguese) from the enactment of Law No. 13,123 / 2015 until December 2019, to understand its role as coordinator of the benefit-sharing policy. CGen’s work context was presented and the theoretical framework of public policy coordination was discussed. The research was carried out based on the analysis of the minutes of the 24 meetings held by the Board, seeking to identify the frequency of full members, the participation of listeners, and the most discussed topics at the meetings. The CGen was found to be a leader in law enforcement, which seeks to use communication and standardization as mechanisms for its coordination. However, the low participation of beneficiaries of the policy and representatives of states and municipalities calls into question the effectiveness of the policy.

Keywords:
Access and Benefit sharing; Public Policy Council; Genetic Heritage; Traditional Knowledge; Coordination of public policies