The Commission endorses the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Integration of Genetic Diversity into National Climate Change Adaptation Planning. The guidelines address the genetic resources dimension of adaptation planning. They aim to assist countries in the management of genetic resources as a pivotal reservoir and tool for adapting agriculture and building resilience into agricultural and food production systems.

Publication of an overview publication entitled Coping with climate change – the roles of genetic resources for food and agriculture based on a number of sectoral studies (Background Study Papers No.  53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 60).

Publication of Background Study Paper No.57 Climate change and micro-organism genetic resources for food and agriculture: state of knowledge, risks and opportunities, which summarizes the roles of micro-organism genetic resources in agriculture, provides examples demonstrating the potential influence of changes in climate on their performance, and describes their potential role in climate change adaptation and mitigation in the food and agriculture sector.

The Commission, at its Twelfth Regular Session, recognizes the need to address climate change in its Multi-Year Programme of Work. It requests FAO to conduct a scoping study on climate change and genetic resources for food and agriculture.