24/09/2013

Muscat, Oman – The Fifth Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (GB5) was officially opened in Muscat, Oman, today.

The opening ceremony was attended by a number of dignitaries, including H.H. Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al-Said of Oman, Chairman of The Research Council and Adviser to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Minister of Agriculture of Sri Lanka, and Dr Fuad bin Jafaar Al-Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Opening statements were made by Minister Al-Sajwani, FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva (via video link), and FAO Assistant Director-General of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Ren Wang, in addition to the Governing Body Chair, Javad Mozafari and the Secretary of the International Treaty, Shakeel Bhatti.

Director-General da Silva said the International Treaty “plays a crucial role for food security as the international framework for the management of all plant genetic resources for food and agriculture” and expressed his support for the expansion of the list of crops listed in Annex 1, which currently includes the 64 key food crops that account for over 80 percent of the world’s plant-sourced food.

Norway formally announced their voluntary contribution of approximately USD 6.7 million towards the Benefit-Sharing Fund of the International Treaty, and called upon other Contracting Parties to follow their example to provide the Fund more financial stability through voluntary contributions.

Over 450 delegates from almost 100 countries attended the opening of the Fifth Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food & Agriculture (GB5), which will run from 24 through 28 September 2013.