An applicant for access to confidential information under these Guidelines shall not be denied access
to such information provided he or she proves that access to that information will be necessary to
protect the public interest or the environment.
Article 27(1) of the Access to Information Act protects commercial information that is proprietary as
defined in the Act; scientific or technical, the disclosure of which is likely to cause harm to the
interests or proper functioning of the public body; or information supplied in confidence by a third
party, the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to put that third party at a disadvantage in
contractual or commercial negotiations; or to prejudice that third party in commercial competition.
According to the Regulations, confidential treatment of any AGR documents does not go beyond three
years.
6.4
Monitoring System
A monitoring system shall be developed to enable Uganda keep track of all genetic resources that have
been accessed within and outside the country and the extent of benefit sharing that has been achieved.
The mandate for this is with the UNCST in collaboration with NEMA.
In addition to this, the LA are charged with monitoring the use of genetic resources transferred outside
Uganda from within their estate while the CITES Scientific Authority is charged with monitoring
population of wild fauna and flora in trade or offered for trade
To ensure collaboration and coordination in implementation of these guidelines, a committee,
composed of representatives from key LA (UNCST, NEMA, UWA, NFA, NARO) shall be
established to monitor the effectiveness of these guidelines and keep track of the access process and
the impacts. The Guidelines will be reviewed and updated every five year period.
Guidelines for Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing
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