The first issue of the GFAR Electronic Newsletter for 2003 has been posted. The Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) is a stakeholder-led initiative that serves as a neutral forum for the discussion of strategic issues in agricultural research for development. The seven GFAR stakeholders are: national agricultural research systems, international agricultural research centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, advanced research institutes, farmers` organisations, NGOs, private sector, and donors and development agencies. The GFAR Secretariat is hosted by FAO and the GFAR Donor Support Group is chaired by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The newsletter`s objective is to disseminate information on GFAR activities, on events and meetings organised by the various stakeholders, and on important inter-stakeholder initiatives organised or facilitated in the context of GFAR. The newsletter includes an item on two meetings held in March-April 2003, organised jointly by APAARI (Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions) and the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, concerning the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology. See http://www.egfar.org/tools/may2003/mail.html or contact [email protected] for more information.

05/06/2003