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relating to the Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines for Sustainable Use. These principles and guidelines provide a framework for assisting governments, Indigenous and local communities, resource managers, the private sector, and other stakeholders to use biodiversity in a sustainable manner.

The Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines could be applied in the case of seal management and overall marine governance by Inuit. Principles and guidelines relevant to the seal ban include Principles 1 and 9:

Principle 1 states that when an international agreement adopts a policy regarding the use of biodiversity, national laws must be compatible if sustainability is to be enhanced. The associated operational guidelines involve a consideration of local customs and traditions and identify any overlaps, omissions and contradictions in existing laws and policies.

Principle 9 provides that sustainability of use depends on biological parameters of the resource being utilized and recognizes that social, cultural, political, and economic factors are equally important; it is therefore necessary to take such factors into account and involve Indigenous and local communities, and the people experienced in these different fields, at all levels of the decision making process. The guidelines state that such factors that could influence the sustainability of management should be taken account of. This principle has not been applied in the introduction of the seal import ban.

Thus, the seal import ban imposed by the EU can be seen as inconsistent with the CBD objectives and contravenes COP Decisions, such as the above stated Principles and Guidelines which have not been applied in light of the biodiversity being used, the conditions under which they are used, and the cultural context in which use is taking place

RELEVANCE OF MULTI-LATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS 71