Highlights and images for 10 July 2025

Debates on the partial subscription option revealed once again the difficulty to ensure sustainable finance flows while attracting subscribers. Focusing on the proposal to allow excluding maize and soy from the subscription, Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) cautioned that allowing companies to exclude two of the most profitable crops will reduce income to the Benefit-sharing Fund. In opposition, North America noted that major companies that rely mainly on in-house collections for these crops will not be interested in full subscription.

As Co-Chair Michael Ryan (Australia) remarked, a divergence of views remained on whether a partial subscription option is beneficial or detrimental to the enhancement of the MLS. 

A constructive discussion was held on a Co-Chairs’ proposal on the amendment of Annex I, which notes that the amendment is limited to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) in ex situ collections, in the management and control of parties, and in the public domain. Further recalling parties’ national sovereignty, the proposal encourages parties to implement the amended Annex by regularly providing a list of PGRFA that is available in the MLS. Debate centered on text stating that a party’s decision not to include a species in the MLS shall not affect the rights and obligations of other parties or of international institutions. 

With the end of the meeting rapidly approaching, the Working Group conducted a full reading of an updated draft of the revised Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA). Consultations continued on payment rates and thresholds and benefit-sharing from the use of digital sequence information / genetic sequence data (DSI/GSD). 

The updated draft revised SMTA incorporated the advice of the Standing Group of Legal Experts and proposals for a partial subscription option and modalities for withdrawal from the subscription, among other issues.  

The Working Group debated, without reaching consensus, paragraphs regarding:  

• transfer of intellectual property rights and benefit-sharing obligations to a third party;  
• the provisions that would apply should the Governing Body determine, in its review of the transitional phase, that there is no substantial progress in the enhancement of the Multilateral System (MLS);  
• information submitted by subscribers on sales of their portfolio and references to confidentiality; and 
• definitions, including of “affiliate,” “commercialize,” “sales,” and “trait of commercial value.” 

In the evening, negotiations focused on benefit-sharing from use of DSI/GSD.