Itpgrfa

Capacity building in relation to all
aspects of the ITPGRFA in Pakistan
Enhancing understanding and implementation of the
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for
Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)
Abdul GHAFOOR, PGRI, ghafoor59pk@yahoo.com

 The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was
adopted in 1992 and entered into force in 1993.
 The CBD recognized that exceptional issues of PGRFA
need to be settled within the FAO Global System on
PGRFA.
 Treaty negotiated in FAO Commission on
Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
 Treaty deals with special problems of PGRFA
and is in harmony with CBD.
 Treaty was adopted by FAO Conference, 3 November
2001 and came into force in June 2004.
Background

The ITPGRFA is a comprehensive international
agreement with aims at guaranteeing food security
through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use
of the world’s plant genetic resources for food and
agriculture, as well as the fair and equitable benefit
sharing arising from its use. It also recognizes Farmers’
Rights
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources
for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)

The treaty aims at-
 Recognizing the enormous contribution of farmers to the
diversity of crops that feed the world.
 Establishing a global system to provide farmers, plant
breeders and scientists with access to plant genetic
material.
 Ensuring that recipients share benefits they derive from
the use of these genetic materials with the countries
where they have been originated.

Article 1 – Objectives
Conservation and sustainable use of PGR for food and agriculture
and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of
their use, in harmony with the CBD, for sustainable agriculture
and food security.
These objectives will be attained by
closely linking this Treaty to the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations and to the Convention
on Biological Diversity.
PART I – INTRODUCTION
Article 1 Objectives
Article 2 Use of terms
Article 3 Scope

Article 2 - Use of terms
 In-situ conservation: conservation of ecosystems, natural habitats,
maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in the
centre of origin and in the centre of diversity.
 Genetic material: functional units of heredity.
 Variety: plant grouping within a single botanical taxon of the lowest
known rank.
 Ex-situ collection: a collection of PGR for food and agriculture
maintained outside their natural habitat, i.e., genebanks.
 Centre of origin: a geographical area where a plant species, either
domesticated or wild, first developed its distinctive properties.
 Centre of crop diversity: a geographic area containing a high level of
genetic diversity for crop species under in-situ conditions.
These definitions are not intended to cover trade in commodities

Article 3 – Scope
This Treaty relates to plant genetic resources for food and
agriculture.
PART II - GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 4 General Obligations
Article 5 Conservation, Exploration, Collection,
Characterization, Evaluation and Documentation of PGRFA
Article 6 Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources
Article 7 National Commitments and International Cooperation
Article 8 Technical Assistance
Article 4 - General Obligations
Each Contracting Party shall ensure the conformity of its laws,
regulations and procedures with its obligations as provided in this
Treaty.

Article 5 - Conservation, Exploration, Collection,
Characterization, Evaluation and Documentation of PGRFA
 Survey, inventory, status of diversity.
 Promote collection of PGRFA and associated information on
those PGR that are under threat or are of potential use.
 Promote and support on-farm conservation.
 In-situ conservation of wild crop relatives and wild plants for
food production.
 Efficient and sustainable system of ex-situ conservation,
documentation, characterization, regeneration and
evaluation, for improving the sustainable use of PGRFA.
 Monitor the maintenance of the viability, degree of variation,
and the genetic integrity of collections of PGRFA.
Steps to minimize, eliminate threats to PGRFA

Article 6 - Sustainable Use of PGR
Appropriate policy and legal measures that promote sustainable
use of PGRFA
 Fair agricultural policies, development and maintenance of
diverse farming systems.
 Strengthening research to conserve diversity by maximizing
intra- and inter-specific for farmers’ benefit.
 Promoting participatory plant breeding.
 Broadening the genetic base of crops and increasing the range
of genetic diversity available to farmers.
 Promoting the use of underutilized species.
 Supporting on-farm management, conservation and
sustainable use.
 Reviewing and adjusting breeding strategies, variety release
and seed distribution.

Article 7 - National Commitments & International
Cooperation
 Establishing or strengthening the capabilities to conservation
and sustainable use of PGRFA.
 Enhancing international activities to promote conservation,
evaluation, documentation, genetic enhancement, plant
breeding, seed multiplication, sharing, providing access, and
exchanging of PGRFA, and appropriate information and
technology.
 Maintaining and strengthening the institutional arrangements.

Article 8 - Technical Assistance
The Contracting Parties agree to promote the provision of
technical assistance to Contracting Parties, especially those that
are developing countries or countries with economies in
transition, either bilaterally or through the appropriate
international organizations, with the objective of facilitating the
implementation of this Treaty.

Article 9 - Farmers’ Rights
 Enormous contribution of indigenous communities, and
farmers, particularly in the centers of origin and crop diversity.
 Realizing Farmers’ Rights, as they relate to PGRFA.
National legislation, protect and promote Farmers’ Rights,
including:
Traditional knowledge relevant to PGRFA.
Right to equitably participate in sharing benefits
arising from the utilization of PGRFA.
Right to participate in decisions, at national level on
conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA.
PART III - FARMERS’ RIGHTS
Article 9 Farmers’ Rights

Article 10 - Multilateral System (MLS) of Access and
Benefit-sharing (ABS)
 Recognition of sovereign rights of States over their PGRFA,
including “the authority to determine access to national
resources and is subject to national legislation”.
 Agree to establish a multilateral system, which is efficient,
effective, and transparent, both to facilitate access to PGRFA,
and to share, in a fair and equitable way, the benefits arising
from the utilization of these resources, on a complementary
and mutually reinforcing basis.
PART IV - THE MULTILATERAL SYSTEM OF ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING
Article 10 Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing
Article 11 Coverage of the Multilateral System
Article 12 Facilitated access to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture within
the Multilateral System
Article 13 Benefit-sharing in the Multilateral System

Article 11 - Coverage of the Multilateral System (MLS)
 MLS cover the PGRFA (list annexed) that are under the
management and control of the State and in the public domain.
 Take appropriate measures to encourage natural and legal
persons within their jurisdiction who hold PGRFA to include in
the MLS.
 The MLS shall also include the PGRFA held in the ex-situ
collections of the International Agricultural Research Centers
of CGIAR system (> 700,000).

Article 12 - Facilitated access to PGRFA within the
MLS
 Facilitate access to PGRFA under the MLS as defined.
 Necessary legal or other appropriate measures to provide
such access to other Contracting Parties through the MLS.
 Access for the purpose of utilization and conservation for
research, breeding and training for food and agriculture
(exclusive of chemical, pharmaceutical/non-food/feed uses).
 Free of charge, or, when a fee is charged, it shall be minimal.
 Passport data and other associated available non-confidential
descriptive information shall be made available with the
PGRFA.

 Recipients shall not claim any intellectual property or other
rights.
 Access to PGRFA under development will be at the discretion of
its developer, during the period of its development.
 Access to PGRFA protected by intellectual and other property
rights.
 Consistent with relevant international agreements, and
with relevant national laws.
 PGRFA under in-situ conditions will be provided according to
national legislation or, in the absence of such legislation, in
accordance with such standards as may be set by the
Governing Body.

 The PGRFA under SMTA – the benefit-sharing provisions.
 In case of contractual disputes arising under such MTAs,
discretion exclusively with the parties to those MTAs.
In emergency disaster situations, the Contracting
Parties agree to provide facilitated access to
appropriate PGRFA in the MLS for the purpose of
contributing to the re-establishment of agricultural
systems, in cooperation with disaster relief
coordinators.

Article 13 - Benefit-sharing in the Multilateral System
 Access to PGRFA constitutes itself a major benefit of the
Multilateral System and agree that benefits accruing there
from shall be shared fairly and equitably in accordance with
the provisions of this Article.
 The benefits arising from the use, including commercial, of
PGRFA under the MLS shall be shared fairly and equitably.

a) Exchange of information
b) Access to and transfer of technology
i) Access to technologies for the conservation,
characterization, evaluation and use of PGRFA.
ii) Access to transfer of technology.
c) Capacity-building
i) Establishing/strengthening programs for scientific and
technical education and training in conservation and
sustainable use of PGRFA.
iii) Carrying out scientific research preferably, and where
possible for such research in fields where they are needed.

 Sharing of monetary and other benefits of commercialization.
I. To take measures in order to achieve commercial
benefit-sharing, through the involvement of private and
public sectors in research and technology development.
II. A recipient who commercializes a product that is a
PGRFA and that incorporates material accessed from
the MLS, shall pay to the mechanism referred to in the
treaty (an equitable share of the benefits).

Article 14 - Global Plan of Action (GPA)
Contracting Parties should promote effective implementation of
GPA including through national actions and, as appropriate,
international cooperation to provide a coherent framework, for
capacity-building, technology transfer and exchange of
information, taking into account the provisions of treaty.
PART V - SUPPORTING COMPONENTS
Article 14 Global Plan of Action
Article 15 Ex Situ Collections of PGRFA held by CGIAR
Article 16 International Plant Genetic Resources Networks
Article 17 The Global Information System on PGRFA

Article 15 – Ex-Situ Collections of PGRFA held by CGIAR centers
a) PGRFA (collected before or after enforcement of treaty) held by IARCs
shall be made available.
i) The IARCs shall periodically inform the Governing Body about the
MTAs entered according to a schedule to be established.
ii) The PGRFA from where collected, shall be provided on demand,
without any MTA.
iii) Benefits arising under the MTA shall be applied, in particular, to the
conservation and sustainable use of the PGRFA, in national and
regional programs, especially in centers of diversity and the least
developed countries.
c) IARCs recognize the authority of the Governing Body to provide
policy guidance relating to ex-situ collections.
d) Scientific and technical facilities in which such ex-situ collections
are conserved shall remain under the authority of the IARCs.
e) Upon request by an IARC, the Secretary shall provide appropriate
technical support.

Article 16 - International Plant Genetic
Resources Networks
 Existing cooperation in international PGRFA networks will be
encouraged/developed, so as to achieve as complete
coverage as possible of PGRFA.
 Encourage all relevant institutions, including governmental,
private, non-governmental, research, breeding and other
institutions, to participate in the international networks.

Article 17 - The Global Information System on PGRFA
 Develop and strengthen a global information system on
PGRFA to contribute sharing of benefits by making
information on PGRFA available to all Contracting Parties.
 Early warning should be provided
about hazards that threaten efficient
maintenance of PGRFA, with a view to
safeguarding the material.
 The Contracting Parties shall cooperate with the Commission
on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of the FAO in
its periodic reassessment of the state of the world’s PGRFA
in order to facilitate the updating of the rolling Global Plan of
Action.

Article 18 - Financial Resources
 Objectives of funding strategy shall be to enhance the
availability, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness of the
financial resources to implement activities under this Treaty.
 In order to mobilize funding for priority activities, plans and
programs and taking the Global Plan of Action into account,
the Governing Body shall periodically establish a target for
such funding.
PART VI - FINANCIAL PROVISIONS
Article 18 Financial Resources

Funding strategy
a) The developed countries shall provide funds, and the developing
countries will avail financial resources through bilateral, regional and
multilateral channels.
d) Members agrees to undertake, and provide financial resources for
national activities for the conservation and sustainable use of
PGRFA in accordance to national capabilities and financial
resources. The financial resources shall not be used in areas related
to international trade in commodities.
e) The financial benefits from MLS will be part of the funding strategy.
f) Voluntary contributions by Contracting Parties, the private sector,
NGOs and other sources. The Governing Body shall consider
modalities of a strategy to promote such contributions.
g) Priority will be given to the implementation of agreed plans and
programs for farmers in developing countries, who conserve and
sustainably utilize PGRFA.

Article 19 - Governing Body
 A Governing Body composed of all Contracting Parties.
 All decisions shall be by consensus unless by consensus
another method of arriving at a decision on certain measures
is reached, except that consensus shall always be required in
relation to Articles 23 and 24.
PART VII - INSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS
Article 19 Governing Body
Article 20 Secretary
Article 21 Compliance
Article 22 Settlement of Disputes
Article 23 Amendments of the Treaty
Article 24 Annexes
Article 25 Signature
Article 26 Ratification, Acceptance or Approval
Article 27 Accession
Article 28 Entry into force
Article 29 Member Organizations of FAO
Article 30 Reservations
Article 31 Non-Parties
Article 32 Withdrawals
Article 33 Termination
Article 34 Depositary
Article 35 Authentic Texts

Article 20 – Secretary
 The Secretary of the Governing Body be appointed by DG, FAO with the
approval of the Governing Body.
a) Arrange administrative support for sessions of the Governing
Body.
b) Assist the Governing Body in carrying out its functions
including the performance of specific tasks that the Governing
Body may decide to assign.
c) Report on its activities to the Governing Body.
 The Secretary shall communicate to all Parties and to the DG
a) Decisions of the Governing Body within sixty days of
adoption.
b) Information received from Contracting Parties in accordance
with the provisions of this Treaty.
 Provide documentation in the six languages of the United Nations.
 Cooperate with other organizations and treaty bodies, including the
Secretariat of the CBD, in achieving the objectives of this Treaty.

FOOD CROPS
1- Breadfruit, 2- Asparagus, 3- Oat, 4- Beet, 5- Brassica complex, 6- Pigeon
Pea, 7- Chickpea, 8- Citrus, 9- Coconut, 10- Major aroids, 11- Carrot, 12-
Yams, 13- Finger Millet, 14- Strawberry, 15-Sunflower, 16- Barley, 17- Sweet
Potato, 18- Grass pea, 19- Lentil, 20- Apple, 21- Cassava, 22- Banana, 23-
Rice, 24- Pearl Millet, 25- Beans, 26- Pea, 27- Rye, 28- Potato, 29-
Eggplant, 30- Sorghum, 31- Triticale, 32- Wheat, 33- Faba Bean, 34-
Cowpea, 35- Maize
LEGUME FORAGES
36- Astragalus, 37- Canavalia, 38- Coronilla, 39- Hedysarum, 40- Lathyrus,
41- Lespedeza, 42- Lotus, 43- Lupinus, 44- Medicago, 45- Melilotus, 46-
Onobrychis, 47- Ornithopus, 48- Prosopis, 49- Pueraria, 50- Trifoliump
GRASS FORAGES
51- Andropogon, 52- Agropyron, 53- Agrostis, 54- Alopecurus, 55-
Arrhenatherum, 56- Dactylis, 57- Festuca, 58- Lolium, 59- Phalaris, 60-
Phleum, 61- Poa, 62- Tripsacum,
OTHER FORAGES
63- Atriplex, 64- Salsola

Where?
Svalbard, Norway 74-81°N,
10-35 °E

Short Messages
 Collection, conservation and utilization of PGRFA
at national, regional and international levels.
 Gap filling in genetic diversity, cultivated, wild.
 Sustainable utilization of PGRFA must increase!
 Minimizing genetic erosion of PGRFA.
 The global long term, safety duplication system
should be more widely used!
 Generosity for cooperation give-take PGRFA
 Join the noble cause for food security & safe
future of mankind.

 www.planttreaty.org
 www.wikipedia.org
 www.cbd.int
 www.cms.int
 www.ramsar.org
 www.cites.org
 http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/cgrfa13/18july.html
 http://www.abs-initiative.info/stakeholders-and-
topics/agriculture/
 http://www.fao.org/nr/cgrfa/en/
 http://www.bioversityinternational.org/e-library/
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