The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement, ratified by Canada, that aims to achieve three main goals: "the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources." An important component of the Convention was the recognition of the interdependence of indigenous and local communities on biological resources, resulting in the undertaking of Article 8 (j), which advises that nations should "respect, preserve and maintain traditional knowledge relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and to promote its wider application." The Akw?Kon Voluntary Guidelines, which arose out of a working group engaged to promote the aims of Article 8 (j) of the Convention, are meant to provide guidance on incorporating cultural, environmental, and social considerations of indigenous and local communities into new or existing impact-assessment procedures. The guidelines are very general in nature and include: term definitions; procedural considerations; integration of cultural, environmental and social impact assessments into a single process; general considerations, such as gender, community development plans, legal obligations; and ways and means, such as capacity building and information exchange. More specifically, the guidelines recommend, for example, the involvement of potentially affected indigenous groups and local communities as early in the process as the screening/scoping phase, including the drafting of any terms of reference for conducting impact assessments. The guidelines also assert the desirability of conducting baseline studies in cooperation with indigenous communities, as well as the importance of "full and effective" indigenous community participation during the conduct of impact assessments, including decision-making. There are also recommendations on what should be considered in determining the scope of assessments and baseline studies and the preferred methodology.