Highlights and images for 20 February 2019

Italy

Summary

Highlights for Wednesday, 20 February 2019

A photography exhibition titled 'Guardians of Seeds' highlights the important role that subsistence farmers play in maintaining biodiversity while ensuring food security

On Wednesday, delegates continued their deliberations on plant, forest, animal and micro-organism and invertebrate genetic resources for food and agriculture (GRFA).Highlights of the day included:

  • A debate on the implications of seed policies and regulations for on-farm conservation;
  • A discussion on a proposed guide for the implementation of genebank standards for plant GRFA;
  • A review of the implementation the Global Plan of Action on Forest Genetic Resources (GPA-FGR);
  • An update on the preparation of the second report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources (SOW-AnGR);
  • Discussions on guidelines for sustainable livestock value chains and methods for valuing ecosystem services provided by livestock; and
  • An initial discussion on future work on micro-organisms and invertebrate GRFA.
  • In contact groups, delegates also continued discussions on follow-up to the report on the State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture (SOW-BFA), access and benefit-sharing (ABS) and “digital sequence information” (DSI) on GRFA.For more details on the day's events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB).

    IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 17th Session of the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.

    Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth

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    Morning Plenary
    View of the dais during the morning plenary
    Axel Diederichsen, Canada
    John Wasswa Mulumba, Uganda
    Shawn McGuire, Plant Production and Protection Division, FAO
    Mario Marino, International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR)
    Aulikki Hulmi, Finland
    Hedwig De Coo, Oxfam Novib
    William Wigmore, CGRFA 17 Chair
    Svanhild-Isabelle Batta Torheim, Norway
    Kudzai Kusena, Zimbabwe
    Stefano Diulgheroff, Plant Production and Protection Division, FAO
    Afternoon Plenary
    Delegates during the afternoon plenary
    Paul Boettcher, Animal Production Officer, FAO
    Sipke Joost Hiemstra, Chair, Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources
    Bounthong Bouahom, Lao People's Democratic Republic
    Elżbieta Martyniuk, Poland
    Duangduen Sripotar, Thailand
    Hussain Ali Soaud, Iraq
    Patricia Mayuni, Malawi
    Tammi Jonas, International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty
    Christine Dawson, US
    Jean-Marie Batiebo, Burkina Faso
    Contact Groups throughout the Day
    Open-ended contact group on Agenda Item 7 - the State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture
    Contact group on DSI
    Around the Venue
    Delegates speak informally before the start of the meeting
    Delegates from South Africa
    Delegates from Canada and the US
    Salah Chouaki, Algeria, speaks with delegates
    Dan Leskien, CGRFA Secretariat, speaks with Irene Hoffmann, CGRFA Secretary, FAO
    Delegates from Belarus
    Facilitators of the the contact group on biodiversity
    Delegates speak informally
    David Cooper, CBD Deputy Executive Secretary