Capacity building in relation to all aspects of the ITPGRFA in Pakistan

Enhancing understanding and implementation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for

Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)Abdul GHAFOOR, PGRI, ghafoor59pk@yahoo.com

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was

adopted in 1992 and entered into force in 1993.

The CBD recognized that exceptional issues of PGRFA

need to be settled within the FAO Global System on

PGRFA.

Treaty negotiated in FAO Commission on

Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

Treaty deals with special problems of PGRFA

and is in harmony with CBD.

Treaty was adopted by FAO Conference, 3 November

2001 and came into force in June 2004.

Background

The ITPGRFA is a comprehensive international

agreement with aims at guaranteeing food security

through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use

of the world’s plant genetic resources for food and

agriculture, as well as the fair and equitable benefit

sharing arising from its use. It also recognizes Farmers’

Rights

International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources

for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)

The treaty aims at-

Recognizing the enormous contribution of farmers to the

diversity of crops that feed the world.

Establishing a global system to provide farmers, plant

breeders and scientists with access to plant genetic

material.

Ensuring that recipients share benefits they derive from

the use of these genetic materials with the countries

where they have been originated.

Article 1 – Objectives

Conservation and sustainable use of PGR for food and agriculture

and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of

their use, in harmony with the CBD, for sustainable agriculture

and food security.

These objectives will be attained by

closely linking this Treaty to the Food

and Agriculture Organization of the

United Nations and to the Convention

on Biological Diversity.

PART I – INTRODUCTION

Article 1 Objectives

Article 2 Use of terms

Article 3 Scope

Article 2 - Use of terms

In-situ conservation: conservation of ecosystems, natural habitats,

maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in the

centre of origin and in the centre of diversity.

Genetic material: functional units of heredity.

Variety: plant grouping within a single botanical taxon of the lowest

known rank.

Ex-situ collection: a collection of PGR for food and agriculture

maintained outside their natural habitat, i.e., genebanks.

Centre of origin: a geographical area where a plant species, either

domesticated or wild, first developed its distinctive properties.

Centre of crop diversity: a geographic area containing a high level of

genetic diversity for crop species under in-situ conditions.

These definitions are not intended to cover trade in commodities

Article 3 – Scope

This Treaty relates to plant genetic resources for food and

agriculture.

PART II - GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 4 General Obligations

Article 5 Conservation, Exploration, Collection,

Characterization, Evaluation and Documentation of PGRFA

Article 6 Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources

Article 7 National Commitments and International Cooperation

Article 8 Technical Assistance

Article 4 - General Obligations

Each Contracting Party shall ensure the conformity of its laws,

regulations and procedures with its obligations as provided in this

Treaty.

Article 5 - Conservation, Exploration, Collection,

Characterization, Evaluation and Documentation of PGRFA

Survey, inventory, status of diversity.

Promote collection of PGRFA and associated information on

those PGR that are under threat or are of potential use.

Promote and support on-farm conservation.

In-situ conservation of wild crop relatives and wild plants for

food production.

Efficient and sustainable system of ex-situ conservation,

documentation, characterization, regeneration and

evaluation, for improving the sustainable use of PGRFA.

Monitor the maintenance of the viability, degree of variation,

and the genetic integrity of collections of PGRFA.

Steps to minimize, eliminate threats to PGRFA

Article 6 - Sustainable Use of PGRAppropriate policy and legal measures that promote sustainable

use of PGRFA

Fair agricultural policies, development and maintenance of

diverse farming systems.

Strengthening research to conserve diversity by maximizing

intra- and inter-specific for farmers’ benefit.

Promoting participatory plant breeding.

Broadening the genetic base of crops and increasing the range

of genetic diversity available to farmers.

Promoting the use of underutilized species.

Supporting on-farm management, conservation and

sustainable use.

Reviewing and adjusting breeding strategies, variety release

and seed distribution.

Article 7 - National Commitments & International

Cooperation

Establishing or strengthening the capabilities to conservation

and sustainable use of PGRFA.

Enhancing international activities to promote conservation,

evaluation, documentation, genetic enhancement, plant

breeding, seed multiplication, sharing, providing access, and

exchanging of PGRFA, and appropriate information and

technology.

Maintaining and strengthening the institutional arrangements.

Article 8 - Technical Assistance

The Contracting Parties agree to promote the provision of

technical assistance to Contracting Parties, especially those that

are developing countries or countries with economies in

transition, either bilaterally or through the appropriate

international organizations, with the objective of facilitating the

implementation of this Treaty.

Article 9 - Farmers’ Rights

Enormous contribution of indigenous communities, and

farmers, particularly in the centers of origin and crop diversity.

Realizing Farmers’ Rights, as they relate to PGRFA.

National legislation, protect and promote Farmers’ Rights,

including:

Traditional knowledge relevant to PGRFA.

Right to equitably participate in sharing benefits

arising from the utilization of PGRFA.

Right to participate in decisions, at national level on

conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA.

PART III - FARMERS’ RIGHTS

Article 9 Farmers’ Rights

Article 10 - Multilateral System (MLS) of Access and

Benefit-sharing (ABS)

Recognition of sovereign rights of States over their PGRFA,

including “the authority to determine access to national

resources and is subject to national legislation”.

Agree to establish a multilateral system, which is efficient,

effective, and transparent, both to facilitate access to PGRFA,

and to share, in a fair and equitable way, the benefits arising

from the utilization of these resources, on a complementary

and mutually reinforcing basis.

PART IV - THE MULTILATERAL SYSTEM OF ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING

Article 10 Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing

Article 11 Coverage of the Multilateral System

Article 12 Facilitated access to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture within

the Multilateral System

Article 13 Benefit-sharing in the Multilateral System

Article 11 - Coverage of the Multilateral System (MLS)

MLS cover the PGRFA (list annexed) that are under the

management and control of the State and in the public domain.

Take appropriate measures to encourage natural and legal

persons within their jurisdiction who hold PGRFA to include in

the MLS.

The MLS shall also include the PGRFA held in the ex-situ

collections of the International Agricultural Research Centers

of CGIAR system (> 700,000).

Article 12 - Facilitated access to PGRFA within the

MLS

Facilitate access to PGRFA under the MLS as defined.

Necessary legal or other appropriate measures to provide

such access to other Contracting Parties through the MLS.

Access for the purpose of utilization and conservation for

research, breeding and training for food and agriculture

(exclusive of chemical, pharmaceutical/non-food/feed uses).

Free of charge, or, when a fee is charged, it shall be minimal.

Passport data and other associated available non-confidential

descriptive information shall be made available with the

PGRFA.

Recipients shall not claim any intellectual property or other

rights.

Access to PGRFA under development will be at the discretion of

its developer, during the period of its development.

Access to PGRFA protected by intellectual and other property

rights.

Consistent with relevant international agreements, and

with relevant national laws.

PGRFA under in-situ conditions will be provided according to

national legislation or, in the absence of such legislation, in

accordance with such standards as may be set by the

Governing Body.

The PGRFA under SMTA – the benefit-sharing provisions.

In case of contractual disputes arising under such MTAs,

discretion exclusively with the parties to those MTAs.

In emergency disaster situations, the Contracting

Parties agree to provide facilitated access to

appropriate PGRFA in the MLS for the purpose of

contributing to the re-establishment of agricultural

systems, in cooperation with disaster relief

coordinators.

Article 13 - Benefit-sharing in the Multilateral System

Access to PGRFA constitutes itself a major benefit of the

Multilateral System and agree that benefits accruing there

from shall be shared fairly and equitably in accordance with

the provisions of this Article.

The benefits arising from the use, including commercial, of

PGRFA under the MLS shall be shared fairly and equitably.

a) Exchange of information

b) Access to and transfer of technology

i) Access to technologies for the conservation,

characterization, evaluation and use of PGRFA.

ii) Access to transfer of technology.

c) Capacity-building

i) Establishing/strengthening programs for scientific and

technical education and training in conservation and

sustainable use of PGRFA.

iii) Carrying out scientific research preferably, and where

possible for such research in fields where they are needed.

Sharing of monetary and other benefits of commercialization.

I. To take measures in order to achieve commercial

benefit-sharing, through the involvement of private and

public sectors in research and technology development.

II. A recipient who commercializes a product that is a

PGRFA and that incorporates material accessed from

the MLS, shall pay to the mechanism referred to in the

treaty (an equitable share of the benefits).

Article 14 - Global Plan of Action (GPA)

Contracting Parties should promote effective implementation of

GPA including through national actions and, as appropriate,

international cooperation to provide a coherent framework, for

capacity-building, technology transfer and exchange of

information, taking into account the provisions of treaty.

PART V - SUPPORTING COMPONENTS

Article 14 Global Plan of Action

Article 15 Ex Situ Collections of PGRFA held by CGIAR

Article 16 International Plant Genetic Resources Networks

Article 17 The Global Information System on PGRFA

Article 15 – Ex-Situ Collections of PGRFA held by CGIAR centers

a) PGRFA (collected before or after enforcement of treaty) held by IARCs

shall be made available.

i) The IARCs shall periodically inform the Governing Body about the

MTAs entered according to a schedule to be established.

ii) The PGRFA from where collected, shall be provided on demand,

without any MTA.

iii) Benefits arising under the MTA shall be applied, in particular, to the

conservation and sustainable use of the PGRFA, in national and

regional programs, especially in centers of diversity and the least

developed countries.

c) IARCs recognize the authority of the Governing Body to provide

policy guidance relating to ex-situ collections.

d) Scientific and technical facilities in which such ex-situ collections

are conserved shall remain under the authority of the IARCs.

e) Upon request by an IARC, the Secretary shall provide appropriate

technical support.

Article 16 - International Plant Genetic

Resources Networks

Existing cooperation in international PGRFA networks will be

encouraged/developed, so as to achieve as complete

coverage as possible of PGRFA.

Encourage all relevant institutions, including governmental,

private, non-governmental, research, breeding and other

institutions, to participate in the international networks.

Article 17 - The Global Information System on PGRFA

Develop and strengthen a global information system on

PGRFA to contribute sharing of benefits by making

information on PGRFA available to all Contracting Parties.

Early warning should be provided

about hazards that threaten efficient

maintenance of PGRFA, with a view to

safeguarding the material.

The Contracting Parties shall cooperate with the Commission

on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of the FAO in

its periodic reassessment of the state of the world’s PGRFA

in order to facilitate the updating of the rolling Global Plan of

Action.

Article 18 - Financial Resources

Objectives of funding strategy shall be to enhance the

availability, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness of the

financial resources to implement activities under this Treaty.

In order to mobilize funding for priority activities, plans and

programs and taking the Global Plan of Action into account,

the Governing Body shall periodically establish a target for

such funding.

PART VI - FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

Article 18 Financial Resources

Funding strategy

a) The developed countries shall provide funds, and the developing

countries will avail financial resources through bilateral, regional and

multilateral channels.

d) Members agrees to undertake, and provide financial resources for

national activities for the conservation and sustainable use of

PGRFA in accordance to national capabilities and financial

resources. The financial resources shall not be used in areas related

to international trade in commodities.

e) The financial benefits from MLS will be part of the funding strategy.

f) Voluntary contributions by Contracting Parties, the private sector,

NGOs and other sources. The Governing Body shall consider

modalities of a strategy to promote such contributions.

g) Priority will be given to the implementation of agreed plans and

programs for farmers in developing countries, who conserve and

sustainably utilize PGRFA.

Article 19 - Governing Body

A Governing Body composed of all Contracting Parties.

All decisions shall be by consensus unless by consensus

another method of arriving at a decision on certain measures

is reached, except that consensus shall always be required in

relation to Articles 23 and 24.

PART VII - INSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

Article 19 Governing Body

Article 20 Secretary

Article 21 Compliance

Article 22 Settlement of Disputes

Article 23 Amendments of the Treaty

Article 24 Annexes

Article 25 Signature

Article 26 Ratification, Acceptance or Approval

Article 27 Accession

Article 28 Entry into force

Article 29 Member Organizations of FAO

Article 30 Reservations

Article 31 Non-Parties

Article 32 Withdrawals

Article 33 Termination

Article 34 Depositary

Article 35 Authentic Texts

Article 20 – Secretary The Secretary of the Governing Body be appointed by DG, FAO with the

approval of the Governing Body.

a) Arrange administrative support for sessions of the Governing

Body.

b) Assist the Governing Body in carrying out its functions

including the performance of specific tasks that the Governing

Body may decide to assign.

c) Report on its activities to the Governing Body.

The Secretary shall communicate to all Parties and to the DG

a) Decisions of the Governing Body within sixty days of

adoption.

b) Information received from Contracting Parties in accordance

with the provisions of this Treaty.

Provide documentation in the six languages of the United Nations.

Cooperate with other organizations and treaty bodies, including the

Secretariat of the CBD, in achieving the objectives of this Treaty.

FOOD CROPS

1- Breadfruit, 2- Asparagus, 3- Oat, 4- Beet, 5- Brassica complex, 6- Pigeon Pea, 7- Chickpea, 8- Citrus, 9- Coconut, 10- Major aroids, 11- Carrot, 12-

Yams, 13- Finger Millet, 14- Strawberry, 15-Sunflower, 16- Barley, 17- Sweet

Potato, 18- Grass pea, 19- Lentil, 20- Apple, 21- Cassava, 22- Banana, 23-

Rice, 24- Pearl Millet, 25- Beans, 26- Pea, 27- Rye, 28- Potato, 29-

Eggplant, 30- Sorghum, 31- Triticale, 32- Wheat, 33- Faba Bean, 34-

Cowpea, 35- Maize

LEGUME FORAGES

36- Astragalus, 37- Canavalia, 38- Coronilla, 39- Hedysarum, 40- Lathyrus,

41- Lespedeza, 42- Lotus, 43- Lupinus, 44- Medicago, 45- Melilotus, 46-

Onobrychis, 47- Ornithopus, 48- Prosopis, 49- Pueraria, 50- Trifoliump

GRASS FORAGES

51- Andropogon, 52- Agropyron, 53- Agrostis, 54- Alopecurus, 55-

Arrhenatherum, 56- Dactylis, 57- Festuca, 58- Lolium, 59- Phalaris, 60-

Phleum, 61- Poa, 62- Tripsacum,

OTHER FORAGES

63- Atriplex, 64- Salsola

Where?Svalbard, Norway 74-81°N,

10-35 °E

Short Messages

Collection, conservation and utilization of PGRFA at national, regional and international levels.

Gap filling in genetic diversity, cultivated, wild.

Sustainable utilization of PGRFA must increase!

Minimizing genetic erosion of PGRFA.

The global long term, safety duplication system should be more widely used!

Generosity for cooperation give-take PGRFA

Join the noble cause for food security & safe future of mankind.

www.planttreaty.org

www.wikipedia.org

www.cbd.int

www.cms.int

www.ramsar.org

www.cites.org

http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/cgrfa13/18july.html

http://www.abs-initiative.info/stakeholders-and-

topics/agriculture/

http://www.fao.org/nr/cgrfa/en/

http://www.bioversityinternational.org/e-library/

Read more