The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has announced that India has emerged as the global leader in issuing Internationally Recognised Certificates of Compliance (IRCCs) under the Nagoya Protocol. According to data from the ABS Clearing-House, India accounts for over 56% of all certificates issued worldwide, with 3,561 IRCCs out of a global total of 6,311.
This puts India far ahead of other leading nations such as France (964), Spain (320), and Argentina (257). This achievement highlights the effective implementation of India's Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) framework under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, which ensures that the commercial use of genetic resources and traditional knowledge is backed by Prior Informed Consent and Mutually Agreed Terms.
Institutional Framework and Global Impact
Tracking Innovation: IRCCs serve as official evidence for tracking genetic resources from initial research to commercial application, ensuring benefits flow back to the provider country.
Three-Tier Governance: India’s success is attributed to its decentralized structure involving the NBA at the center, State Biodiversity Boards at the state level, and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the local level.
Streamlined Procedures: Efficient processing of applications has allowed India to remain at the forefront of the 34 countries (out of 142 registered) that have successfully issued these certificates.
International Goals: This leadership reinforces India's role in global biodiversity governance and aligns with international mandates for the sustainable use of biological resources.
What is an "Internationally Recognised Certificate of Compliance (IRCC)"? An IRCC is a digital certificate issued by a national authority and published on the ABS Clearing-House to provide legal evidence that a user has accessed genetic resources or traditional knowledge legally. It acts as a catalyst for transparency and accountability by proving that the user obtained Prior Informed Consent (PIC) and established Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT) for benefit-sharing with the provider country. This mechanism manifests as a transition from "informal bioprospecting" to "regulated bio-trade," where the certificate follows the resource across international borders. Issuing an IRCC is a primary lever for the NBA to benchmark a trajectory of fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from India's vast biological diversity.
Policy Relevance: Anchoring Global Biodiversity Standards
Sovereign Rights over Genetic Assets: By issuing more than half of the world's IRCCs, India transposes the abstract principles of the Nagoya Protocol into a concrete, legally enforceable digital paper trail.
Incentivising Ethical Bio-Trade: The streamlined issuance process encourages global pharmaceutical and AYUSH firms to engage with Indian resources through official channels, effectively circumvents the risks of international biopiracy.
Validating the Decentralised Governance Model: The high volume of IRCCs confirms that the Biological Diversity Act’s three-tier structure is not just a regulatory hurdle but a functional system for professionalised resource management.
Benchmarking Regulatory Efficiency in Environmental Governance: The high volume of certificates issued signals to global researchers and industries that India has the necessary technical infrastructure for predictable and transparent access to bio-resources.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: By what specific performance indicators can the NBA verify that the 3,561 IRCCs issued have resulted in actual monetary or non-monetary benefits reaching the local Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs)?
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