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The Global Crop Diversity Trust:
Purposes, Priorities and Governance
Speech by Geoffrey Hawtin Interim Executive Secretary,Global Crop Diversity Trust on world day 2003 at the benefit sharing symposium
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Introduction: Why we need the Trust
Major collecting took place in the 1960s-80s in
the face of a rapid loss of diversity. Today
there are 1,470 genebanks in 150 countries holding
over six million accessions. The CGIAR
Future Harvest Centres alone hold over 600,000
unique accessions and have distributed more
than one million samples since the 1980s, over
80 percent of these to developing countries.
However, the serious loss of genetic diversity
continues, mainly due to variety replacement
but also through changing farming systems, habitat
loss, over-exploitation and such.
The 2002 “Crop Diversity at Risk” study undertaken
by Imperial College, Wye, UK, surveyed
99 countries over a five-year period, based on
GPA data (1996) and a follow-up United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
survey (2000). Of the countries surveyed,
approximately seven percent had lost portions
of their collections, although collections increased
in 77 percent of countries. Budgets declined
or remained static in 65 percent of
countries, with regeneration backlogs increasing
in two-thirds of developing countries (66
percent). The situation is considerably worse
in developing countries.
The report concluded that there is a need for
long-term sustainable funding, such as an international
endowment.
History
In 1995, the CGIAR review of Future Harvest
genebanks identified the need for upgrading
collections. This was followed in 1996 by the
adoption of the United Nation’s FAO Global
Plan of Action adopted, with ex situ conservation
one of the priorities. By 1999, an investment
plan had been prepared for Future Harvest
genebanks that recommended the creation
of an endowment. Two years later the political stage was set with the 2001 adoption of the
FAO International Treaty. The FAO and CGIAR
agreed to work together towards the establishment
of the Global Crop Diversity Trust.
Objectives of the Trust
The main objective of the Trust is to ensure
the long-term conservation and availability of
the plant genetic resources for food and agriculture
(PGRFA). The Trust will in particular:
- endeavour to safeguard collections of unique
and valuable PGRFA held ex situ, including
those held in trust for the benefit of the world
community;
- promote a competent, goal-oriented, economically
efficient and sustainable global system
of ex situ conservation;
- promote the regeneration, characterisation,
documentation and evaluation of PGRFA and
the exchange of related information;
- promote the availability of PGRFA; and
- support national and regional capacity building,
including the training of key personnel, with
respect to the above.
How the Trust will work
Two main funding mechanisms have been put
in place to support the Trust: a non-wasting
endowment fund, the proceeds of which will
support the maintenance of collections on
a long-term basis; and a funding facility to
support the future upgrading of collections and
building genebank capacity. Funds will be
raised from governments (70 percent), foundations
(15 percent), the corporate sector
(10 percent) and private individuals (five percent).
Our initial target for the endowment
is $260 million.
Resource allocation
We have drawn up a series of draft interim
eligibility principles to determine the allocation
of resources. Priority will be given to collections
that are important for food security and
for which there is a high degree of interdependence
among countries (Annex 1 of the
International Treaty). Other collections that
will be eligible include: those deemed “at risk”;
those with material available under internationally
agreed terms of access and benefit
sharing; those committed to conserving the
collection over the long term; and those committed
to working in partnership to develop
and maintain an efficient and effective global
conservation system.
Work is underway to develop the criteria,
standards and priorities that will be used to
allocate grants. Crop and regional models
are also being developed.
Relationship with the International Treaty
on PGRFA
The Trust’s relationship with the IT is a vital
component of the IT Funding Strategy (Article
18). This dictates that the Trust will operate
within the framework of the IT and support
the implementation of the FAO Global Plan of
Action.
However, the Trust is not the benefit-sharing
mechanism foreseen in the Treaty. As stated in
the 9th Regular Session of the FAO Commission
on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
(Rome, October 2002): “This initiative
was universally appreciated and supported,
and appeals were made to donors to assist
in the establishment of the Trust. The Trust
would, it was hoped, attract new and additional
funds from a wide range of donors.”
Governance
The Trust will be an independent international
legal fund, governed by its own Establishment
Agreement, Constitution and Relationship
Agreement with FAO. The Governing Body
of the International Treaty will provide overall
policy guidance, whereas the Donors’ Council
will provide financial and other oversight.
The Executive Board will be the key decisionmaking
body, made up of up to 13 members
broadly representative of all key stakeholder
groups. The Board will serve to balance
the interests of donors of funds and donors of
genetic resources.
Status and next steps
An Interim Executive Board has been appointed
and charged with establishing the Trust. An
Interim Secretariat has also been established at
FAO – working closely with International
Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), although
the location of the permanent secretariat
has yet to be determined. The governance
instruments have been adopted and country
signatures are being sought. On the financial
side, interim financial mechanisms are in
place and work is underway to develop the permanent
financial policies and mechanisms.
Approximately $33 million has been pledged to
date in expressed commitments and a further
sum of approximately $60 million is under discussion.
It is hoped that the first grants for
upgrading and capacity building can be expected
in 2004, with operational support grants
expected to begin in 2005.
Conclusions
The Trust addresses an urgent need and one that
is becoming increasingly recognised worldwide
as the loss of genetic diversity impacts on
everyone. Although it is an integral part of
the Funding Strategy of the International Treaty,
the Trust is not the formal benefit sharing
mechanism of the IT. The Trust also addresses
some key concerns and priority activities of
the Global Plan of Action.
If successful, the Trust will bring direct benefits
to holders of collections around the world,
especially in developing countries. It will also
bring huge indirect benefits to the whole
world community, South and North; to plant
breeders, farmers and ultimately all consumers.
The establishment of the Trust also raises
many questions, a few of which demand our
ongoing and serious attention:
- Why are the benefits of conservation and
access often regarded differently by South and
North?
- Is the characterisation of the South as gene-rich/
cash-poor and the North as gene-poor/ cashrich
justified? What is the true nature of geneflow
around the world?
- How can the plant breeding ‘playing field’ be
levelled (investment in breeding in South,
PPB approaches, breeding crops and traits of
interest to the poor etc.)?
- Are there other important benefits to the South
from conservation (e.g., restoration of agricultural
systems) and how can they be enhanced
(e.g., stronger genebank/rural community
links)?
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