As part of a global survey that FAO is carrying out to assess plant breeding and related biotechnology capacity, draft national reports are now available on the web for an additional 12 African countries i.e. Algeria, Angola, Cameroon (in French), Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe. See the "What`s new" section of http://apps3.fao.org/wiews/wiews.jsp or contact [email protected] for more information. The results of this global survey are helping to identify opportunities and gaps to strengthen national capacity to use plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. At a side event during the 1st meeting of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, held in Madrid, Spain, on 12-16 June 2006, the Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB) was launched. The GIPB is aimed at helping developing countries to improve their agricultural productivity through sustainable use of plant genetic resources. See a `Spotlight` article on the GIPB at http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0606sp1.htm (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish) or contact [email protected] for more information.

09/06/2006