India issues over 56% of global Nagoya Protocol compliance certificates

India accounts for over 56% of all Internationally Recognized Certificates of Compliance issued globally under the Nagoya Protocol, with 3,561 of 6,311 certificates. This leadership in access and benefit-sharing governance makes ABS compliance an increasingly material element of environmental and social due diligence for companies using genetic resources.

According to a Press Information Bureau update, India accounts for over 56% of all Internationally Recognized Certificates of Compliance (IRCCs) issued globally under the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing, with 3,561 of a total 6,311 certificates. IRCCs serve as official proof that users obtained Prior Informed Consent and established Mutually Agreed Terms with resource providers, uploaded to the Access and Benefit-Sharing Clearing-House for transparency. India's framework rests on the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, implemented through a three-tier structure led by the National Biodiversity Authority with State Biodiversity Boards and Biodiversity Management Committees.

Of 142 countries registered on the ABS Clearing-House, only 34 have issued IRCCs, with India leading by a wide margin ahead of France, Spain, Argentina, Panama, and Kenya. The development is most relevant for ESG-focused investors and companies in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, agriculture, and natural resource-based industries, where IRCCs track the lifecycle of genetic resources from research to commercial use. Compliance with ABS requirements and IRCC issuance is becoming a critical component of environmental and social due diligence in global supply chains, while strengthening safeguards against biopiracy.

Companies sourcing or commercialising genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge should ensure Prior Informed Consent and Mutually Agreed Terms are documented through IRCCs to satisfy due diligence and avoid biopiracy exposure. Affected industries should monitor how ABS compliance integrates into evolving global supply chain requirements and investor expectations. India's streamlined institutional coordination offers a benchmark, and stakeholders should track how scalable, transparent compliance mechanisms support equitable monetary and non-monetary benefit-sharing with provider countries and local communities under the Nagoya Protocol framework.

Key figure — Certificates issued: 3,561 IRCCs by India, over 56% of the global 6,311