Latin American and Caribbean Group

L-R: Javad Mozafari, Working Group Co-Chair, consulting with Álvaro Toledo, ITPGRFA Secretariat, and Kent Nnadozie, ITPGRFA Secretary The eighth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the Multilateral System (MLS) of access and benefit-sharing (ABS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) opened today at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), in Rome, Italy. The Working Group is composed of up to 27 regional representatives: up to five from Europe; up to five from Asia; up to five from Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC); up to three from the Near East; up to two from North America; and up to two from the Southwest Pacific. Up to two representatives from each of the following groups may participate as observers: civil society organizations; the seed industry; farmers’ organizations; and the CGIAR Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers. The Working Group heard opening statements, addressed organizational matters, and began text-based negotiations on a draft revised Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA). Co-Chair Javad Mozafari opened the meeting, highlighting that the Treaty is crucial for food security and sustainable agriculture globally, and calling for expedited efforts to enhance its efficiency. He recalled that the Working Group elected Amb. Hans Hoogeveen (the Netherlands) by electronic means as the new Co-Chair of the Working Group, to replace former Co-Chair Bert Visser, who retired during GB 7. Co-Chair Hans Hoogeveen said that informal consultations highlighted elements of compromise on several controversial areas. ITPGRFA Secretary Kent Nnadozie expressed hope that the spirit of understanding and cooperation that prevailed during informal consultations will continue. Several participants expressed optimism about the upcoming negotiations and highlighted progress achieved so far. The Working Group then began text-based negotiations on the draft revised SMTA, focusing on the terms and conditions of the subscription system. Among other issues, participants addressed: •    the effect, coverage, and registration of subscription; •    monetary benefit-sharing, including the basis for payments, and who is obliged to pay; •    complexities arising from use of digital sequence information (DSI); •    exemptions from payments; and •    differentiated rates. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from OWG-EFMLS-8. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page View of the opening session of the Working Group Hans Hoogeveen, Working Group Co-Chair Javad Mozafari, Working Group Co-Chair Kent Nnadozie, ITPGRFA Secretary Álvaro Toledo, ITPGRFA Secretariat Grethe Evjen, Europe Kudzai Kusena, Africa Ali Chehade, Near East Nestor Altoveros, Asia José Valls, Latin America and the Caribbean Pierre du Plessis, Civil Society L-R: Tobias Kiene, ITPGRFA Secretariat; Álvaro Toledo, ITPGRFA Secretariat; Hans Hoogeveen, Working Group Co-Chair; Javad Mozafari, Working Group Co-Chair; Kent Nnadozie, ITPGRFA Secretary; and Olivier Rukundo, ITPGRFA Secretariat Working Group drafting session Alwin Kopse, Europe Edward Hammond, Civil Society Axel Diederichsen, North America Anke Van Den Hurk, Seed Industry Guy Kastler, Farmers Organization Manrique Lucio Altavista, Latin America and the Caribbean Hans Hoogeveen and Javad Mozafari, Working Group Co-Chairs  

  A delegate from Cabo Verde casting her vote to determine the IGC Bureau members from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean countries (GRULAC) Delegates at the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) continued to exchange views in an informal working group on capacity building and technology transfer, focusing on: •    modalities; •    a clearinghouse; •    monitoring and review; and •    finance mechanism.For extensive 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, provided daily reports and daily web coverage from BBNJ IGC 1. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis report from the meeting.   Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Delegates conferring prior to the election of IGC Bureau members from GRULAC IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS Campaign materials in the IGC plenary UN staff members with ballot boxes IGC Informal Working Group Facilitator Olai Uludong, Palau Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group Margo Deiye, Nauru, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) Landisang Kotaro, Palau Alvaro Dos Santos, Paraguay L-R: Jung So-hyun and Hwang Junshik, Republic of Korea Susan Whelan, Holy See Ismail Raushan Zahir, Maldives, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Sergey Leonidchenko, Russian Federation Marc Richir, EU Kimberly Louis, Saint Lucia Diedre Mills, Jamaica Ma Xinmin, China Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway Ariel Cayanan, the Philippines Crocheted mascot, distributed by the High Seas Alliance Sibylle Vermont, Switzerland Evan Bloom, US María Claudia Vélez Crismatt, Colombia Tidiani Couma, Monaco Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, International Seabed Authority Fredrik Haag, International Maritime Organization L-R: John Brincat, EU, in conversation with Alice Revell, New Zealand L-R: María Claudia Vélez Crismatt, Colombia, in a discussion with Sibylle Vermont, Switzerland Delegates from China, Iceland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, and the US consulting  

Highlights for Thursday, 26 July 2018 Mariusz Orion Jędrysek, Assembly President, gavels the meeting to a close. On Thursday, 26 July, the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), adopted: the strategic plan (2019-2023) with some amendments; a decision to prepare a high-level action plan with performance indicators and outputs; and the budget for 2019-2020. The Assembly also filled the vacancies on the Council for a four-year period. President Jędrysek drew the meeting to a close at 3:45pm.ENB Summary and Analysis: The Earth Negotiations Bulletin summary and analysis of the 2nd Part of the 24th Session of the International Seabed Authority will be available on Sunday, 29 July 2018 on this website. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital web coverage and daily reports in English and French from ISA-24. Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera Delegates discuss the 2019-2023 ISA Strategic Plan Maruthadu Sudhakar, India Linlin Li, China Khurshed Alam, Bangladesh Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General Ariel Fernández, Argentina Philomène Verlaan, Sargasso Sea Commission Tomasz Grysa, Holy See Michelle Walker, Jamaica Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil Vladimir Vinokurov and Alexey Orel, Russian Federation Duncan Currie, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition Urs Daniel Engels, Chair of the Credentials Committee Patrik Schotte, Belgium; Tom de Wachter, Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR); Daniele Bosio, Italy; and Kenneth Wong, Canada Wini Broadbelt (left), the Netherlands, in discussions with Elisa Morgera, ENB L-R: Luke Tang, Singapore; Tomoko Tauchi, Mitsuru Kayama and Tetsuya Yoshimoto, Japan L-R: Mariusz Orion Jędrysek, Assembly President; Alexey Orel and Vladimir Vinokurov, Russian Federation Representatives from the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) discuss amendments to the 2019-2023 ISA Strategic Plan. Kate Neilson, New Zealand; and Amadou Jaiteh, The Gambia Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway; and Tom Diederen, the Netherlands L-R: Josh Mitchell, Cook Islands; Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General; and Michael Henry, Cook Islands The Nigerian delegation Ernesto Malda, Mexico; and Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil Group photo of delegates at the end of the meeting Delegates from the Pacific Islands Tom Diederen, Wini Broadbelt, and Laurens de Jonge, the Netherlands The delegation from Tonga with Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General Representatives from the Caribbean at the end of ISA-24 Gaowen He and Zhuo Xiaojun, China Xiao Wang and Mara Wendebourg, ISA Secretariat Around the Venue L-R: Diego Noguera, Lynn Finnegan, Elisa Morgera, ENB; Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General; Nicole de Paula, ENB; Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General; and Jean-Christophe Vandevelde, ENB