Presentation of Background Study Paper No.52 Biotechnologies for the management of genetic resources for food and agriculture at the Commission’s Thirteenth Regular Session. The study provides an overview of biotechnologies applied in the characterization, conservation and utilization of genetic resources for food and agriculture. It also examines recent developments as well as the current status and potential uses of biotechnology applications relevant to the management of crop, forest, animal (livestock), aquatic (fisheries and aquaculture) and microbial genetic resources for food and agriculture.

Publication of Background Study Paper No.33 The state of development of biotechnologies as they relate to the management of animal genetic resources and their potential application in developing countries, which reviews literature, particularly studies published after 1999, on the state of development of genetic and reproductive technologies and evaluates their potential impact on the utilization and conservation of locally adapted animal genetic resources for the sustainable intensification of production systems.

Publication of Background Study Paper No.17 Recent developments related to biotechnology that are relevant to the analysis of the survey on the Code of Conduct.

Publication of Background Study Paper No.19 The role of law in realising the potential and avoiding the risks of modern biotechnology. Selected issues of relevance to food and agriculture. The study examines the extent to which international agreements and a small selected group of national laws may be assisting societies to realize modern biotechnology’s potential and avoid its possible risks. It reviews three categories of legal instruments at international and national levels in the areas of biosafety, food safety and consumer protection. While, because of the small sampling of national-level instruments undertaken, the study can only be considered indicative, when the sample is combined with a wider sampling of international instruments, a number of trends and gaps become evident in two key areas: public participation and oversight mechanisms.

Publication of Background Study Paper No.10 Recent developments in biotechnology as they relate to animal genetic resources for food and agriculture, which reviews the main reproductive and genetic technologies currently under development for the livestock sector to evaluate their potential impact on the conservation of animal genetic diversity and its use in the sustainable intensification of production systems.

Publication of Background Study Paper No.9 Recent developments in biotechnology as they relate to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, which reviews a range of recent developments in agricultural biotechnology, primarily focusing on the issue of how access to some agricultural biotechnologies might benefit poorer farmers. The study focuses mainly on the plant biotechnology sector, with some reference to the animal and microbial biotechnology sectors.