GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY CONFERENCE CONCLUDES PAST MIDNIGHT
26/11/2019
Rome, Italy, 17 November 2019 – After intense week-long discussions, the Eighth Session of the Governing Body (GB-8) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture concluded past midnight on Saturday, 16 November 2019, with the adoption of 14 resolutions to be implemented in the coming biennium and beyond.
Among the decisions made for the coming years are resolutions on farmers’ rights, conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), an updated funding strategy, and the celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the entry-into-force of the International Treaty.
Unanimous decisions
Other key decisions included unanimous acceptance of the offer by India to host the Ninth Session of the Governing Body (GB-9) in 2021 in New Delhi, the nomination of Ms Yasmina El-Bahloul of Morocco as the Chair for GB-9, and a unanimous decision to extend for the coming biennium the term of the current Secretary, Mr Kent Nnadozie.
Farmers’ Rights
GB-8 welcomed the Inventory of National Measures, Best Practices and Lessons Learned on the realization of Farmers’ Rights and decided to reconvene the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Farmers’ Rights with a mandate to work on drafting “Options for Encouraging, Guiding and Promoting the Realization of Farmers’ Rights,” in accordance with Article 9 of the International Treaty.
Conservation and Sustainable Use
The Governing Body decided to reconvene the Ad Hoc Technical Committee on Conservation and Sustainable Use of PGRFA and reaffirmed the need for cooperation with the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food (CGRFA) and Agriculture, the CGIAR centers and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Updated Funding Strategy
GB-8 also adopted an updated Funding Strategy for the period 2020-2025, including a target of USD 0.9 – 1.1 billion per year over 10 years with milestone of 40% to be achieved by 2026 to support the implementation of the International Treaty, including the Benefit-sharing Fund that supports projects in developing countries. The Governing Body decided to form a new Standing Committee to spearhead the revised Funding Strategy.
1st Multi-Year Programme of Work
GB-8 adopted its first Multi-Year Programme of Work and requested the Secretary to continue following relevant discussions of Digital Sequence Information (DSI)/genetic sequence data in coordination with the CGRFA and the CBD.
Global Information System
The Governing Body welcomed the progress made under the Global Information System, including the usefulness of Digital Object Identifiers in linking to material to genetic sequence data, and reconvened the Scientific Advisory Committee to continue examining relevant scientific and technical issues.
Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing
One area where consensus was lacking was on how best to enhance the functioning of the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing. After a week of intense negotiations on specific elements for the enhancement, GB-8 did not reach consensus on the revised Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA), Digital Sequence Information (DSI) and the expansion of the list of crops in Annex I of the International Treaty, due to the legal, policy and practical complexities involved.
This Governing Body session was held at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, and included 600 participants from member countries, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, the seed sector and other international organizations.
The Opening Ceremony of the GB-8, on 11 November 2019, included addresses by FAO Deputy Director-General (Climate and Natural Resources), Ms Maria Helena Semedo; H.E. Mr Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, India; H.E. Ms Teresa Bellanova, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, Italy; and a keynote address by Sir Robert Watson, erstwhile Chair of the Inter-governmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), drawing attention to the inextricable link between climate change and biodiversity loss. Other speakers included a smallholder farmer from a village in Kenya, Ms Evalyne Adhiambo Okoth; Executive Director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, Ms Marie Haga; Secretary of the CGRFA, Ms Irene Hoffmann; Chairperson of GB-8, Ms Christine Dawson of the United States of America; Secretary of the International Treaty, Mr Kent Nnadozie, and other stakeholder groups.
The International Treaty is one of the top 10 achievements of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and serves as a de facto flagship for plant agricultural biodiversity.
More information on GB-8 can be found on the International Treaty’s dedicated GB-8 webpage: http://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/eighth-governing-body/en/
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