Comments on: CGIAR calls for action at Rio+20

By: John

John — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 07:30:52 +0000

Dave,
if the international community would pull out of any international treaty which is not (yet) endorsed by some of the larger countries, then no international treaty would survive.

John

By: Michael Halewood

Michael Halewood — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 08:25:14 +0000

In 2001, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources was adopted by consensus by the 183 countries constituting the FAO Conference [link to report]. Article 15 of the Treaty calls upon the CGIAR centres to sign agreements with the governing body of the Treaty to place the ex situ collections they host under the Treaty’s framework. In response to this very clear expression from the international community, the Centres signed such agreements in 2006, and have managed the ex situ collections under the Treaty's overarching framework ever since. 127 countries have ratified the Treaty since its adoption, and it is reasonable to expect that still others will do so. The Governing Body has expressed its appreciation for the centres efforts under the Treaty. The International Treaty provides a framework for the international coordination of actions related to the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources and the sharing of benefits derived from their use. As such, the centres are convinced that the Treaty is an extremely important international agreement, and remain committed to supporting its full implementation.

By: Dave Wood

Dave Wood — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:25:04 +0000

The CGIAR should take the opportunity at Rio+20 to pull out of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). With major countries not members (China, Mexico, Nigeria and many others) and with CGIAR institutes and developed countries placing samples originating from these countries in the ITPGRFA this Treaty is neither sustainable nor equitable. For example, there are 97,000 samples of Mexican origin in the Treaty without the knowledge or approval of Mexico.
The CGIAR – in its relations with developing countries – can function better without the ITPGRFA and deliver sound benefits, as it has done for upwards of 50 years, through crop breeding of value to all developing countries.