15/12/2016

15 December 2016- The Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) participated in the side event “Genetic Diversity for a World Without Hunger”, which took place in Cancun on the margins of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference organized by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The side event, which helped to illustrate the role of FAO in the international cooperation, was jointly moderated by Dr Kent Nnadozie, Secretary a.i., of the Governing Body of the ITPGRFA, and Ms Irene Hoffmann, Secretary of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA). It also provided an overview of ongoing national and international efforts and options to ensure that a broad range of genetic resources are available and used by researchers and farmers in achieving the goals of the sustainable food production.

Dr Nnadozie highlighted the importance of ensuring the harmonious implementation of both the Treaty and the CBD regarding access and benefit-sharing (ABS). He also underlined that the Treaty was the first international agreement that recognized the rights of farmers and local and indigenous communities and their contributions to the maintenance and sustainable use of crop biodiversity.

The panellists also included Mr David Cooper, Deputy Executive Secretary of the CBD, and Ms Elżbieta Martyniuk, from the National Research Institute of Animal Production of Poland, among others.

At the event, organized on 12 December, the Treaty Secretariat described the functioning of the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing and provided an update on the ongoing enhancement process. “Some of the measures under discussion comprise the development of a subscription system with a revised Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA), and a package of measures that could encompass the inclusion of a termination clause, the setting up of user or crop categories, and also differentiated payment rates”, explained Mr Alvaro Toledo, Treaty Technical Officer.

The Secretariats of the Treaty and the CBD have a strong and long-standing partnership, which was commended by the Governing Body at its Sixth Session in October 2015. In recent times, that partnership has made possible some collaborative activities, such as the organization of joint capacity development workshops to facilitate national implementation, awareness-raising and participation in each other’s meetings.

At the opening ceremony of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP-13), Dr Nnadozie had stressed that the Treaty Secretariat remains fully committed to continuing its close collaboration with the Convention for the benefit of the parties to both instruments. The Secretariats of the Treaty and the CBD also organized a joint event on 6 December on the mutually supportive implementation of the Nagoya Protocol and the Treaty that allowed for local, national and international organizations to discuss coordination efforts.

More information on these events:

- Genetic diversity for a world with no hunger: International cooperation through FAO: http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/cop13/enbots/

- Mutually supportive implementation of the Nagoya Protocol and the Plant Treaty: http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/cop13/enbots/6dec.html#event-2