Special Information Seminar on Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture: Taking Stock for the Future
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Fourteenth Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA 14) of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

CGRFA 14 adopted two important new documents, the Global Plan of Action on forest genetic resources, and the genebank standards for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, which are expected to provide valuable guidance for national action on genetic resource conservation and sustainable use. The meeting also held lengthy debates exploring the Commission’s role and place in an interconnected international policy environment on access and benefit-sharing, climate change and aquatic genetic resources. Through a series of mostly procedural decisions, the Commission will keep addressing these issues, aiming to provide targeted input to policy-makers as well as mainstream the importance of genetic resources for food and agriculture across relevant international processes.

Plenary met in the afternoon to adopt the report reflecting the meeting's deliberations and including its decisions. They agreed on sections related to the report on the State of the World's biodiversity for food and agriculture, targets and indicators, and climate change and genetic resources for food and agriculture.

8:50 pm: CGRFA 14 reaches agreement on report sections on access and benefit-sharing, biodiversity and nutrition.

9:10 pm: CGRFA 14 adopts report section on forest genetic resources, including new Global Plan of Action.

9:30 pm: CGRFA 14 adopts report section on animal genetic resources.

10:00 pm: CGRFA 14 approves sections on aquatic genetic resources, micro-organisms and invertebrates.

10:15 pm: CGRFA 14 adopts items related to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, including genebank standards.

Chair Fraleigh gaveled the meeting to a close at 11:03 pm.