Elements for the Definition of the Programme of Work on Sustainable Use of PGRFA (POW)

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1 October 2012 IT/ACSU-1/12/4 E Item 5 of the Draft Provisional Agenda FIRST MEETING OF THE AD HOC TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABLE USE OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE Rome, Italy, 8-9 November 2012 Elements for the Definition of the Programme of Work on Sustainable Use of PGRFA (POW) I. INTRODUCTION 1. The Governing Body of the Treaty, at its Fourth Session in Bali, Indonesia, March 2011, through Resolution 7/2011 request[ed] the Secretary to develop, based on the rolling Global Plan of Action (GPA), steps on how to implement those elements of the Global Plan of Action addressing sustainable use to support further actions at national, regional and international level for the consideration of the Governing Body at its Fifth Session. 2. The Governing Body establish[ed] an Ad Hoc Technical Committee on Sustainable Use of PGRFA that will advise the Secretary and the Bureau inter alia, on Elaboration of a draft work programme on sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, based on elements generated by stakeholders consultations. 3. This document, based on the Governing Body Resolutions and expression of needs by the Contracting Parties, provides the Committee with those elements that could be considered useful for the elaboration of the Programme of Work on sustainable use of PGRFA (PoW), which include: a. The role of Sustainable Use of PGRFA as pivotal to the Treaty ; b. The main activities in sustainable use of PGRFA undertaken by the International Treaty through its Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF); c. The status of implementation of the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Second GPA), activities undertaken and supported by FAO; d. The actions needed for a coherent elaboration of the PoW, based mainly on the priority activities of the Second GPA; e. The steps towards the adoption of the PoW.

2 2 IT/ACSU-1/12/4 The Committee will find additional annexed documents on: 1. The Vision, Mission and Goals needed to elaborate the PoW; 2. The provisions of the Treaty related to priority activities (and their indicators) of the Second GPA and some specific actions that may be carried out at national, regional and international level as part of the PoW; 3. A list of existing on-going activities of other institutions on sustainable use of PGRFA that would enable the Secretariat to even further strengthen cooperation within FAO and outside FAO with other relevant international bodies. II. SUSTAINABLE USE OF PGRFA AS PIVOTAL TO THE TREATY 4. The sustainable use of PGRFA takes into account the wider principles of ecologically, economically and socially sound approaches. These principles address the challenges of meeting basic food needs, generating income for the rural poor, and providing a foundation for protecting the environment. Sustainable use can involve different technical solutions and actions, such as: intensification of production; plant breeding; characterization, evaluation and numbering of core collections; genetic enhancement and base broadening; diversification of crop production and broader diversity in crops; development and commercialization of underutilized crops and species; supporting seed production and distribution and developing new markets for local varieties and "diversity rich'' products. 5. The sustainable use of PGRFA is at the core of the work of the Treaty. From the outset, the objectives of the Treaty, as enunciated in its Article 1, include the sustainable use of PGRFA. In its Article 5 also, the sustainable use of PGRFA is recognized as an integral part of the overall management of PGRFA: Each Contracting Party shall... promote an integrated approach to the exploration, conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.... Sustainability in the use of PGRFA, i.e. using PGRFA to the benefit of society but in an environmentally sound manner that ensures the perpetuation of these resources to benefit posterity, is in the mandate of the Treaty. 6. The sustainable use of PGRFA is a concept that demonstrates all its validity in the activities put in place by farmers, in the technical decisions in support of sustainability in agriculture and in a food policy for the protection of the rights of future generations. The Second GPA identifies five Priority Activities (Priority Actions 8-12) to support countries in the sustainable use of PGRFA: i. Expanding the characterization, evaluation and further development of specific subsets of collections to facilitate use; ii. Supporting plant breeding, genetic enhancement and base-broadening efforts; iii. Promoting diversification of crop production and broadening crop diversity for sustainable agriculture; iv. Promoting development and commercialization of all varieties, primarily farmers varieties/landraces and underutilized species; v. Supporting seed production and distribution

3 IT/ACSU-1/12/4 3 In accordance with the Second Global Plan of Action, indicators for monitoring the implementation of the Second GPA are currently being developed by FAO, for adoption by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Activities undertaken by the International Treaty on PGRFA through its Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF) 8. Full implementation of the Treaty and a successful realization of its objectives require substantial financial resources and their transparent, efficient and effective management. The Funding Strategy of the Treaty, which seeks to attract financial resources from all possible sources, was adopted in 2006 by Resolution 1/2006 of the Governing Body, with the goal of meeting these objectives and ensure timely implementation of Art.18 of the Treaty. 9. Article 13.5 of the Treaty links the Global Plan of Action to the Funding Strategy and the Multilateral System of the Treaty, where it states that: The Contracting Parties recognize that the ability to fully implement the Global Plan of Action [...] will depend largely upon the effective implementation of this Article and of the Funding Strategy as provided in Article 18. Furthermore, the funding targets established in the Strategic Plan for the Implementation of the Benefit-Sharing Fund of the Funding Strategy have been set out based on the needs and priority activities of the 1st GPA, with the purpose of using these funds strategically and of playing a catalytic role in the international cooperation fora on plant genetic resources The three agreed priorities of the BSF, a) information exchange, technology transfer and capacitybuilding, b) on-farm management and conservation of PGRFA and c) their sustainable use, reflect six out of the 18 priority activity areas of the Second GPA. 11. Up to now both cycles of BSF projects, approved by the Governing Body of the Treaty, emphasize the importance and the need for capacity building and awareness raising; consequently, a special attention is drawn to the enhancement of human and institutional competences to conserve and sustainably use PGRFA, in harmony with, and in execution of, priority activities 13, 17 and 18 of the Second nd GPA. As a result, a wide range of activities are carried out in the projects implementation: training programmes in on-farm conservation for researchers, farmers and students; exchange visits, workshops and training programmes for policy makers at national and local level; development of rural extension networks for conserving and using crop diversity on-farm; establishment of field schools for training of local communities and for offering research opportunities for post graduate students. 12. All these valuable activities are likely to have a strong catalytic effect on the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA in the targeted countries and have the potential to be scaled up across regions and be replicated in other areas, ensuring maximum positive impact and best use of scientific knowledge and financial resources. 2. Status of the implementation of the Second GPA, activities undertaken by FAO 1 Review of indicators, including higher-order indicators, reporting format and targets for monitoring the implementation of the Second Global Plan of Action _Rev.1.pdf 2 Draft Strategic Plan for the Implementation of the Benefit-Sharing Fund of the Funding Strategy available at

4 4 IT/ACSU-1/12/4 13. An overview of the activities being undertaken by FAO with its partners towards the implementation of the Second GPA will be presented to the Sixth Session of the Inter-governmental Technical Working Group on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, to be held from 14 to 16 November The CGIAR Research Programs demonstrate the efficacy of international collaborations in harnessing PGRFA to address constraints to crop production. Other intervention mechanisms variously use the provisions of policy guidelines and technical assistance to Member Countries for country-based activities. Taken in concert, these result in strengthened capacities for the conservation of PGRFA, their use in plant breeding and the delivery of high quality seeds and planting materials to farmers. 14. FAO also partners with other development-oriented entities in supporting capacity strengthening of national programmes, development and implementation of seed policies and PGRFA strategies, publication of technical tools and guidelines and fostering partnerships and collaborations. Complementary to these, FAO uses the World Information and Early Warning System (WIEWS) and the National Information Sharing Mechanisms (NISMs) and the hosting of the Facilitating Mechanism to facilitate the documentation, dissemination and ultimately, the monitoring of PGRFA-related activities globally. 15. The FAO-convened multi-stakeholder platform, the Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB), also enhances capacities for the implementation of the Second GPA and hence, of the Treaty especially its Article 6. Other relevant activities include collaborative initiatives undertaken by FAO technical units with the Secretariats of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the Secretariat of the Treaty, the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the Convention on Biological Diversity. 16. Undeniably, progress is being made in conserving and using PGRFA in a sustainable manner. But, there is ample room for significant scaling up of the activities, especially with the aim of unmasking the hidden potentials of PGRFA and deploying them in countering the grave threats to global food security posed by climate change and variations and other critical drivers. Such scaling up would require the sourcing of additional resources to enable greater interactions and partnerships at the national, regional, sub-regional and international realms for the management of PGRFA. III. IDENTIFYING THE ACTIONS NECESSARY FOR THE PROGRAMME OF WORK 17. The envisaged PoW should identify tasks, in measurable terms, for which the Treaty has the mandate, enjoys comparative advantage over other partners, and which complement and enhance the utility of other activities similarly aimed at the sustainable use of PGRFA. The elucidation of the PoW also provides the Treaty with the unique opportunity of further identifying partners whose work adds value to the actualization of the Treaty s mandate. 18. The Second GPA is a Supporting Component of the Treaty. In fact, the specific Priority Actions of the Second GPA relating to the sustainable use of PGRFA translates Article 6 of the Treaty into actionable items. Therefore, the Treaty and the Second GPA are supposed to be taken in concert, as articulating mechanisms for guiding countries and Contracting Parties in the implementation of the Treaty and, ultimately, in attaining the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA, and hence the overall effective, result-oriented management of PGRFA. 3 CGRFA/WG-PGR-6/12/3-FAO activities in support of the implementation of the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

5 IT/ACSU-1/12/ Annex II of this document matches relevant provisions of Article 6 of the Treaty with corresponding Priority Actions of the Second GPA. Based on this alignment some specific actions have been identified for populating the Treaty s PoW on Sustainable Use of PGRFA. Considering the ongoing activities of other partners engaged in aspects of the continuum of activities that constitute the management of PGRFA, the Treaty s niche would be the more normative activities. These activities range from benchmarking situation analysis through capacity enhancements, workshops and the development of templates for strategies, policies and legislations to pilot activities for the validation of existing tools that facilitate the management of PGRFA. The suggested specific actions are by no means exhaustive, but should be considered sufficiently representative of the missing aspects of the normative functions of the Treaty as to be the basis for articulating a comprehensive PoW that reflects the multifarious needs of stakeholders. IV. TOWARD THE PRESENTATION TO THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE PROGRAMME OF WORK 20. The process to build up a PoW has been constructed in different steps listed herewith in chronological order. It is imperative to simplify the activities and the expected outputs since the document on the draft PoW for the first meeting of the ACSU will be presented to the Fifth Session of the Governing Body (Autumn 2013). The entire process is summarised in the flowchart below. 21. Step 1 is the starting point of the process of consultation. Steps 2 and 3 will generate the elements for the elaboration of the first draft of the PoW and to evaluate the awareness of the stakeholders on this important issue. Finally, Step 4 is the presentation of the draft PoW by the Secretary of the Treaty to the Fifth Session of the Governing Body. November 2012 STEP 1: The Ad Hoc Committee on Sustainable Use of PGRFA (ACSU) will advise on how to start the process of consultation and on the adoption of the draft questionnaire prepared for the stakeholders consultation (document IT/ACSU-1/12/3). March 2013 STEP 2: Elaboration of a draft PoW based on: 1. Additional elements provided by the Secretariat and elaborated by the ACSU. 2. Elements generated by the stakeholders consultation. May 2013 STEP 3: Consolidation of the draft PoW. September/November of 2013 STEP 4: Report of the Secretary on the result of the work of the ACSU to the Governing Body at its Fifth Session.

6 6 IT/ACSU-1/12/4 V. ADVICE SOUGHT FROM THE COMMITTEE The Committee, on the basis of the consideration presented in this document, is invited to advise on : 1. The elaborated framework on the vision, mission and goals (Annex I); 2. The specific actions that could be supported by the Secretariat and that may form part of the Treaty s PoW on Sustainable Use of PGRFA (Annex II);

7 IT/ACSU-1/12/4 7 Annex I Programme of Work on Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic resources for Food and Agriculture (PoW) Vision, Mission and Goals VISION The promotion of farming systems that enhance the sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture through policies to support global food security and sustainable development for future generations. MISSION The sustainable use of PGRFA is at the core of the work of the Treaty. The objectives of the Treaty are the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use, in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity, for sustainable agriculture and food security. The Secretariat of the Treaty can act as a partner for those Contracting Parties that will request technical and legal assistance providing expertise to define customized tools at technical and political level. GOALS The Secretariat will: Monitoring, implementing and ensuring technical support Goal 1: provide support to all the activities undertaken by the Contracting Parties and by the stakeholders on the sustainable use of PGRFA to implement the substantive provisions of Art. 5, 6 and 9 of the Treaty; Goal 2: endorse the function of the Governing Body to provide policy direction and guidance to monitor, and adopt such recommendations as necessary for the implementation of the Treaty, and, in particular for the operation of the Multilateral System; Goal 3: ensure technical expertise in national, sub-regional and regional programmes of FAO. The Secretariat will: Cooperating and improving partnerships Goal 4: strengthen collaboration with all stakeholders participating in projects and programmes in line with the provisions of the Treaty and with the CBD Aichi Biodiversity Targets on sustainable use of PGRFA. Goal 5: implement the objectives of non-monetary Benefit-sharing and the Priority Activities of the Second Global Plan of Action regarding the sustainable of PGRFA.

8 8 IT/ACSU-1/12/4 Annex II Some Actions for Implementing the Sustainable Use of PGRFA, as per Article 6 of the Treaty Treaty on PGRFA Paragraph Provisions of Art The Contracting Parties shall develop and maintain appropriate policy and legal measures that promote the sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Relevant Priority Activities of the Second GPA Priority Activity 3: Assisting farmers in disaster situations to restore crop systems Priority Activity 5: Supporting targeted collecting of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture Priority Activity 11: Promoting development and commercialization of all varieties, primarily farmers varieties/landraces and underutilized species Priority Activity 12: Supporting seed production and distribution Specific Actions at National Level that could be supported by the Secretariat of the Treaty and that may form part of the Treaty s PoW on Sustainable Use of PGRFA Benchmark of existing PGRFA-related national and regional policies and legislations To adopt templates for national policies and legislations that provide for: I.Exchange of PGRFA by the SMTA I.Intellectual Property Rights for outputs of plant breeding; farmer- and community-led improvement of PGRFA I.Distribution (including certification and marketing) of seeds and planting materials

9 IT/ACSU-1/12/4 9 Development of Priority Activity 13: template for National Building and PGRFA Strategy strengthening national specifying action plans, programmes governance, capacity Priority Activity 14: strengthening, Promoting and partnerships, etc. strengthening networks Critical review of for plant genetic resources regional PGRFA platforms for food and agriculture and the development of Priority Activity 16: best practices for regional, Developing and sub regional collaborations strengthening systems for in the use of PGRFA monitoring and safeguarding genetic diversity and minimizing genetic erosion of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (a) Pursuing fair agricultural Priority Activity 2: Benchmark of existing 6.2. policies that promote, as Supporting on-farm national and regional Measures appropriate, the development management and agricultural development and maintenance of diverse improvement of plant and/or biodiversity farming systems that enhance genetic resources for food conservation policies and the sustainable use of and agriculture legislations relating to agricultural biological diversification of farming diversity and other natural systems resources; Develop template (suite of best practices) for national and regional policy instruments that mainstream the inclusion of the diversification of

10 10 IT/ACSU-1/12/4 (b) Strengthening research which enhances and conserves biological diversity by maximizing intra- and inter-specific variation for the benefit of farmers, especially those who generate and use their own varieties and apply ecological principles in maintaining soil fertility and in combating diseases, weeds and pests; (c) Promoting, as appropriate, plant breeding efforts which, with the participation of Priority Activity 11: Promoting development and commercialization of all varieties, primarily farmers varieties/landraces and underutilized species Priority Activity 12: Supporting seed production and distribution Priority Activity 8: Expanding the characterization, evaluation and further development of specific collection sub-sets to facilitate use Priority Activity 9: Supporting plant breeding, genetic enhancement and farming systems as integral part of agricultural development and sustainable crop production intensification Inventory of existing mechanisms for the recognition of farmerowned IPR Development of guidelines for integrating farmer-specific IPR regimes in PGRFA-related legislations and policies As above Validating of genebank standards through regional workshops, pilot projects and publication of case studies which enhance and conserve plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Develop the elements for the toolbox for a resultoriented crop improvement

11 IT/ACSU-1/12/4 11 farmers, particularly in developing countries, strengthen the capacity to develop varieties particularly adapted to social, economic and ecological conditions, including in marginal areas; base-broadening efforts. Priority Activity 12: Supporting seed production and distribution program Finalize the development and validation of the Planning and Assessment Tool for Crop Improvement Programs (d) Broadening the genetic base of crops and increasing the range of genetic diversity available to farmers; (e) Promoting, as appropriate, the expanded use of local and Priority Activity 10: Promoting diversification of crop production and broadening crop diversity for sustainable agriculture Priority Activity 11: Promoting development Organize regional training programs on prebreeding Organize regional workshops on public private partnerships in prebreeding Develop best practices including the management of IPR-related issues in multi-stakeholder prebreeding activities Implement regional pilot projects for the integration of novel alleles into breeding materials for enhancing adaptation of farming systems to climate change and variations As above relating to farmer-owned IPR.

12 12 IT/ACSU-1/12/4 locally adapted crops, varieties and underutilized species; (f) Supporting, as appropriate, the wider use of diversity of varieties and species in on-farm management, conservation and sustainable use of crops and creating strong links to plant breeding and agricultural development in order to reduce crop vulnerability and genetic erosion, and promote and commercialization of all varieties, primarily farmers varieties/landraces and underutilized species Priority Activity 2: Supporting on-farm management and improvement of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture Inventory of existing mechanisms for the provision of incentives and support for the cultivation of locally adapted crops and underutilized species Organization of regional workshops for the articulation of best practices for promoting the increased cultivation and use of locally adapted crops and underutilized species Development of templates for harmonized policies for the promotion of the increased cultivation and use of locally adapted crops and underutilized species Develop and validate toolkit (to include technical and policy guidelines) for on-farm management of PGRFA for specific farming systems

13 IT/ACSU-1/12/4 13 increased world food production compatible with sustainable development; (g) Reviewing, and, as appropriate, adjusting breeding strategies and regulations concerning variety release and seed distribution. Priority Activity 13: Building and strengthening national programmes As above relating to a toolbox for a resultoriented crop improvement program