Armenag Aprahamian, President of the National Council of the Republic of Western Armenia presented some interesting facts from the FAO website at the 17th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva .
As of 2021, out of a total of 8,771 breeds of mammals and birds exploited in food and agriculture in the world, 2,281 were assessed as endangered and 619 as extinct.
There are about 400,000 plant species.
There are more than 160,000 species of fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants on the Planet.
Microorganisms and invertebrates are the most diverse species groups.
However, 99% of bacteria and protists remain unknown.
Armenag Aprahamian noted that the issue of genetic resources is vital for indigenous peoples in this respect and is important in terms of the life of their constituent cells.
That is why one of the topics that could become the subject of a more in-depth study is the identification of inconsistencies between international legal instruments which are intended for Indigenous Peoples, for their genetic resources and their right to self-determination.
An example is the correspondence of Article 26 to Article 26 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples:
“1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and resources that they have traditionally owned, used or acquired.” Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) states that states will have sovereign rights over their biological resources.
Compliance with Article 26 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the International Treaty on Phylogenetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Article 9).
Compliance with Article 26 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ILO (International Labor Organization) Convention 169 (Articles 13, 14, 15).
Compliance with Article 26 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the WIPO Convention on Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge. In particular, Articles 2 and 4, recently adopted by WIPO in the presence of several indigenous delegations, but without consensus on the rights of genetic resource owners and traditional knowledge.
Compliance with Article 26 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UNESCO Heritage Convention (Articles 1, 2).