African Union

Delegates from the African region conferring during a break in negotiations Delegates to the eighth session of the Governing Body (GB 8) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA or Treaty) met in plenary throughout the day to: hear a report on the contribution of FAO to Treaty implementation; continue discussions on the Multi-Year Programme of Work (MYPOW), including digital sequence information (DSI) or genetic sequence data; and discuss cooperation with other instruments and organizations, including the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA), the Global Crop Diversity Trust, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing (ABS), among others. FAO Assistant Director-General René Castro-Salazar highlighted the Treaty as one of FAO’s flagship achievements; and many regions expressed appreciation for FAO’s ongoing, steady support to member states. CGRFA Secretary Irene Hoffmann presented the CGRFA report, highlighting the Voluntary Guidelines for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Farmers’ Varieties/Landraces. Delegates also addressed the report of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, highlighting Trust initiatives and discussing their prioritization. The CBD emphasized synergies and cooperation activities, and stressed the importance of all biodiversity-related conventions to engage in the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.Uncertainty prevailed on the way forward to address divergence of views on enhancing the Treaty’s Multilateral System of ABS. In the morning, Brazil, for G-77/China, called for urgently addressing the item in a contact group or other setting with interpretation. Later in the day however, GB 8 Chair Christine Dawson (US) reported that there is no consensus in the Bureau to establish a contact group on the item, and invited delegates to continue consulting informally. By the end of the afternoon plenary, she proposed convening a closed group, composed of two parties per region. A discussion ensued with focus on participation in the group, with many developing countries pointing to the importance of the item and to the need for transparency. It was eventually decided to convene the group in the evening, with two party representatives and two party observers per region.The budget committee, an informal group on the Global Information System, and a contact group on farmers’ rights also met throughout the day.For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, is providing daily web coverage and daily reports from the 8th Session of the Governing Body. In addition, IISD Reporting Services published a summary and analysis report from the meeting, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page View of the dais during the plenary session René Castro-Salazar, Assistant Director-General, FAO Maeen Ali Ahmed, Yemen Delegates from Canada during a break in negotiations Sunil Archak, India, with Claver Ngaboyisonga, Rwanda Irene Hoffmann, Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) Secretary Gregory Bailey, Antigua and Barbuda, with Leslie Brereton, Barbados Axel Diederichsen, Canada, with Neha Lugo, US Manrique Lucio Altavista, Argentina, conferring with Federico Condon, Uruguay Jean Lanotte, France, and Alwin Kopse, Switzerland Yukio Yokoi, Japan Louis Fresta, Malta Delegates from the African region Katlyn Scholl, US Pierre du Plessis, African Union Álvaro Toledo, ITPGRFA Secretariat, and Catherine Karr-Colque, US Worku Damena Yifru, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat Peter Button, Vice Secretary-General, International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Delegates from the African region Ana Bedmar Villanueva, Spain, with Teresa Agüero Teare, Chile Laila Sasi Younes, Libya, and Nadia Hadjeres, Algeria Christina Blank, Switzerland Petra Engel, Italy Akio Yamamoto, Japan Delegates from Europe  

Delegates from the Near East region conferring during a break in negotiations Delegates to the eighth session of the Governing Body (GB 8) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA or Treaty) met in a morning plenary to exchange views on measures to enhance the functioning of the Multilateral System (MLS) of access and benefit-sharing.During an exchange of views on the report of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the MLS, divergent positions were expressed on, among other issues: addressing digital sequence information (DSI) or genetic sequence data as part of the revised Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA), and providing for benefit-sharing obligations from the use of such data; expanding the list of crops in the MLS (Annex I of the Treaty); and, prioritizing the subscription system under the revised SMTA, or maintaining a possibility for single access to MLS material. GB Chair Christine Dawson (US) encouraged parties to continue informal consultations, noting that the Bureau will discuss the way forward.In the afternoon, plenary addressed items related to the implementation and enhancement of the Funding Strategy. Delegates addressed: developed country finance-related obligations; user-based contributions to the Benefit-sharing Fund; the new funding strategy 2020-2025, including target ranges for the Benefit-sharing Fund, prepared by the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on the Funding Strategy; and the status of the Committee on the Funding Strategy. Informal consultations on the items were held in the evening.Discussions on the Global Information System focused on use of digital object identifiers (DOIs), including for tracking germplasm and related information. Plenary then addressed farmers’ rights, in particular an inventory of national measures, best practices, and lessons learned for their realization prepared by an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group, as well as terms for extension of the expert group’s mandate. Discussions continued into the night.For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin.  IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, is providing daily web coverage and daily reports from the 8th Session of the Governing Body. In addition, IISD Reporting Services published a summary and analysis report from the meeting, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page From L-R: Kent Nnadozie, ITPGRFA Secretary; GB 8 Chair Christine Dawson; Álvaro Toledo, ITPGRFA Secretariat; and Tobias Kiene, ITPGRFA Secretariat GB 8 Chair Christine Dawson Feleke Woldeyes, Ethiopia Lianne Fernández Granda, Cuba José Mauricio Hernández de la Parra, Guatemala Catherine Karr-Colque, US Soungalo Soulama, Burkina Faso Teresa Agüero Teare, Chile Godfrey Mwila, Zambia Gustavo Alizaga López, Costa Rica Alwin Kopse, Switzerland R.C. Agrawal, India Yukio Yokoi, Japan Michael Halewood, CGIAR Consortium, with François Meienberg, Civil Society Bienvenu Ntsouanva, Congo Claver Ngaboyisonga, Rwanda Manrique Lucio Altavista, Argentina Renata Negrelly Nogueira, Brazil From L-R: Kent Nnadozie, ITPGRFA Secretary; Stefano Scategni, FAO; and Paola Franceschelli, ITPGRFA Secretariat John Wasswa Mulumba, Uganda Mónica Martínez Menduiño, Ecuador Pierre du Plessis, African Union Michael Halewood, CGIAR Consortium Lianne Fernández Granda, Cuba, with Álvaro Toledo, ITPGRFA Secretariat Participants conferring during a break in negotiations Alwin Kopse, Switzerland, and Sunil Archak, India Louis Fresta and Adam Kuymizakis, Malta