Report of the Fourth High-Level Ministerial Round Table on the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: “The International Treaty, Climate Change and Food Security” UN Building, New York 24 September 2014 Introduction The Fourth High Level Ministerial Round Table was held on the occasion of the 69 th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Its main objectives were: To facilitate discussion on how monetary and non-monetary benefits generated from the utilization of plant germplasm under the International Treaty can support agricultural innovation for breeding climate-adapted seeds; To discuss how to address the impact of climate change on food crops through the Treaty systems and their further development; To showcase the value of the Treaty’s Benefit-Sharing Fund and its projects for climate adaptation of food crops. The Round Table was hosted by H.E. Dr Fuad bin Jafaar Al-Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Oman, and co-hosted by H.E. Minister Tine Sundtoft, Minister of Climate and Environment of Norway (represented by Junior Minister Jens Holte) and H.E. Minister Andrä Rupprechter, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management of Austria. A list of participants is provided in Annex 1, the Programme of the Round Table is given in Annex 2, and the New York Communiqué is provided in Annex 3. Opening Session H.E. Minister A-Sajwani welcomed the participants and pointed out how climate change affects agriculture and food production in many and complex ways. There is universal recognition of the importance of crop diversity in addressing the challenges posed by climate change. The introduction of genetic diversity into farming systems promotes resilience and it is the basis for breeding climate-adapted crops. He referred to the draft Communiqué that had been distributed at the outset of the meeting and requested that participants read it and propose any changes they would like to see considered. The Director General of FAO, Dr Graziano da Silva congratulated the International Treaty on the progress achieved since the 2 nd High Level Round Table at the Rio+20 Summit. He pointed out that important and concrete results had already been achieved through projects funded by the Treaty’s Benefit Sharing Fund (BSF). In a statement echoed by several other speakers, he expressed support for the enhancement of Multilateral System on Access and Benefit-Sharing (MLS), both in terms of the coverage of crops as well as
Transcript
Report of the Fourth High-Level Ministerial Round Table
on the
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: “The International Treaty, Climate Change and Food Security”
UN Building, New York
24 September 2014
Introduction The Fourth High Level Ministerial Round Table was held on the occasion of the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Its main objectives were:
To facilitate discussion on how monetary and non-monetary benefits generated from the utilization of plant germplasm under the International Treaty can support agricultural innovation for breeding climate-adapted seeds;
To discuss how to address the impact of climate change on food crops through the Treaty systems and their further development;
To showcase the value of the Treaty’s Benefit-Sharing Fund and its projects for climate adaptation of food crops.
The Round Table was hosted by H.E. Dr Fuad bin Jafaar Al-Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Oman, and co-hosted by H.E. Minister Tine Sundtoft, Minister
of Climate and Environment of Norway (represented by Junior Minister Jens Holte) and
H.E. Minister Andrä Rupprechter, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management of Austria. A list of participants is provided in Annex 1, the Programme of the Round Table is given in Annex 2, and the New York Communiqué is provided in Annex 3. Opening Session H.E. Minister A-Sajwani welcomed the participants and pointed out how climate change affects agriculture and food production in many and complex ways. There is universal recognition of the importance of crop diversity in addressing the challenges posed by climate change. The introduction of genetic diversity into farming systems promotes resilience and it is the basis for breeding climate-adapted crops. He referred to the draft Communiqué that had been distributed at the outset of the meeting and requested that participants read it and propose any changes they would like to see considered. The Director General of FAO, Dr Graziano da Silva congratulated the International Treaty on the progress achieved since the 2nd High Level Round Table at the Rio+20 Summit. He pointed out that important and concrete results had already been achieved through projects funded by the Treaty’s Benefit Sharing Fund (BSF). In a statement echoed by several other speakers, he expressed support for the enhancement of Multilateral System on Access and Benefit-Sharing (MLS), both in terms of the coverage of crops as well as
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with respect to increasing the monetary benefits generated by the system. “I would like to congratulate the Treaty on this rapid progress”, Director-General de Silva said, “and ask you to support this enhancement process of the Treaty – by considering both the expansion of the crop coverage and the complementary enhancement of user-based payments to the Benefit-sharing Fund of the System.” Director-General da Silva specifically welcomed the significant financial contributions made by Australia, the European Union, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Norway and Spain. Such contributions will be crucial, particularly until user-based payment can set in, based on the decisions taken by the Governing Body. Voluntary contributions from countries will be necessary in the short-term for the next round of benefit-sharing and for the successful enhancement of the System, until sustained and predictable user-based payments can begin in the medium-term. It is critical that on-going and sustainable funding be channeled through the BSF and that it be supported to reach its target of USD 116 million. The Secretary of the Governing Body of the International Treaty, Dr Shakeel Bhatti, said that the pioneering MLS developed by the Treaty has been used as a model for other access and benefit-sharing systems, including that of the Nagoya Protocol of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), as well as for the exchange of viral materials under the World Health Organization (WHO). He also thanked all governments that had supported the BSF and mentioned, in particular, the Government of Italy which was contributing $630,000 to the BSF and which will be invested in the Fourth Call for Project Proposals. He thanked Ms Sharon Brennan-Haylock, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in New York, for the large efforts made to make the present meeting possible. Other speakers pointed out that currently the MLS encompasses some 1.6 million accessions and between 400 and 600 samples are exchanged every day under the terms of the Standard Material Transfer Agreement. This represents a very high level of activity and the International Treaty is by far the most important mechanism globally for the exchange of genetic materials. October 2014 will see the entry into force of the Nagoya Protocol, opening a new era of collaboration between the CBD and the International Treaty, as was pointed out by Dr Braulio Dias, Executive Secretary of the CBD in his video message. Dr Dias highlighted the close cooperation between CBD and the International Treaty, which he and Dr. Bhatti had developed since their launching of the Joint Initiative of the CBD and the Treaty at the 2nd High Level Round Table on the Treaty in 2011. In addition to germplasm exchange and benefit-sharing, the International Treaty has been a leader on a whole range of important issues, including the recognition of Farmers’ Rights in many countries, the establishment of the Global Crop Diversity Trust to support ex situ conservation, the creation of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and the building of its Global Information System on plant genetic resources. The UN has designated 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming and the International Treaty is very relevant to this theme. Fewer crop species are feeding the world than 50 years ago and there is less diversity within the crops now being grown. The loss of crop diversity endangers agricultural productivity, food security and our ability to adapt to the pace of environmental change. The importance of both low-emission and adaptive agricultural strategies was pointed out and it was observed that mountain agriculture is especially sensitive to climate change.
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The urgency of the situation was stressed: climate change poses numerous challenges of alarming magnitude. It is imperative that agriculture adapts rapidly to the changing environment and the sustained momentum of the International Treaty and its high-level policy discussions will be key to successfully meeting these challenges. H.E. Andrä Rupprechter offered to host the next meeting in Vienna and the generous offer was warmly welcomed by the participants. First Session: Conserving and Managing Crop Diversity for Climate Change Agricultural biodiversity is critical to the poorest rural communities and will only increase in importance in the future. The International Treaty is the most powerful instrument we have for conserving and exchanging plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. It is key to the recognition by governments of Farmers’ Rights, and the Treaty’s Benefit-Sharing Fund provides invaluable support for initiatives that reward farmers and rural communities for their role in conserving and managing the world’s wealth of genetic diversity. Agriculture is dramatically challenged by climate change and pro-active policies and action are required. One speaker stressed the need for prevention rather than cure. Some estimates anticipate that unless such action is taken urgently, global food production will decline by 2% per decade from now until the end of the century. Crop diversity is already a game changer and has the potential to be even more so in the future. Second Session: Benefit-sharing and Transfer of Technologies The creation of a Platform for the Co-development and Transfer of Technology was welcomed, as called for in the Rio 6-Point Action Plan adopted at the Second High Level Round Table in Brazil in 2012. A call was made for additional support to be provided to enable the platform to become fully effective and operational. The interdependence among countries was mentioned – not only with respect to genetic diversity, but also with respect to the technologies needed to fully conserve and exploit it. With this in mind, several speakers highlighted the critical importance of the relationship between the CGIAR Centres and the Treaty. The need for new crop varieties to meet the challenges posed by climate change was emphasized. Advanced information systems for modern breeding methods are needed and the Global Information System on Plant Genetic Resources, currently under development by the International Treaty and its partners, will be a vital tool for developing such systems. This includes the integrated application of genomics and other plant genetic resource information, which the International Treaty is addressing with the Global Crop Diversity Trust and other partners through an integrated repository of genomic and other plant genetic resource data named DivSeek. One speaker additionally highlighted the potential of nanotechnology to enhance breeding efficiency and effectiveness. Third Session: Bringing Seeds to Farmers
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Seeds are the starting point of agriculture and the Treaty is vital in helping ensure a continuing supply of seed of the best, most appropriate varieties. Mention was made of the need to spray potatoes in the UK with fungicides up to 20 times in a season to control late blight. Recent breeding work had resulted in varieties having resistance to the disease that will dramatically reduce the number of sprays needed. The impact of plant breeding in producing climate adapted crop varieties, such as drought resistant wheat varieties in Australia, was also mentioned. The importance of access to plant genetic diversity is recognized by UPOV as being vital for plant improvement, and breeding and conservation are seen as fully interdependent. UPOV perceives its role in promoting innovation as being fully complementary with that of the International Treaty. The International Seed Federation also expressed strong support for the Treaty and the hope that further certainty for the industry can be achieved under the Treaty as it further enhances its coverage and secures greater benefits for rural communities in developing countries. Concluding Session Following a brief discussion among participants and the High Level Round Table, the Chairman of the Sixth Session of the Governing Body of the Treaty, Mr Matthew Worrell, summarized the main substance and outcomes of the meeting. In closing, H.E. Minister Fuad bin Jafaar Al-Sajwani referred again to the draft Communiqué and declared that the New York Communiqué will be posted on the Treaty Website for 2-3 weeks for comments (see Annex 3). He thanked his fellow members of the High Level Task Force of the Benefit-sharing Fund and his co-hosts, H.E. Andrä Rupprechter, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management of Austria and H.E. Minister Tine Sundtoft, Minister of Climate and Environment of Norway for supporting the organization of the event. He would report on the outcomes of the High-level Roundtable to the Sixth Session of the Governing Body in 2015. With that, he formally declared the meeting closed. List of Annexes Annex 1: List of Participants Annex 2: Programme Annex 3: Draft New York Communiqué
Fourth High-Level Ministerial Round Table (4th HLRT) The International Treaty, Climate Change and Food Security
24 September 2014, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, New York, UNGA 69 Conference Room 6
Matthew Worrell
Introduction of H.E. Dr Fuad Al-Sajwani to Open and Chair the meeting
OPENING SESSION
Moderation:
Dr. Fuad Al-Sajwani, Chair
HLTF
H.E. Minister Fuad bin Jafaar Al-Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Oman (host)
H.E. Minister Andrä Rupprechter, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management of Austria (co-host)
Director-General of the UN-FAO, Dr Graziano da Silva: Food security and climate change
Chairman of the Governing Body of the International Treaty, Mr Matthew Worrell
Secretary of the International Treaty, Dr Shakeel T. Bhatti
Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Dr Braulio F. de Souza Dias: Biodiversity for food and agriculture and the International Treaty (VIDEO STATEMENT)
Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Dr Monique Barbut: Drought, food security and the importance of plant genetic resources
FIRST SESSION: CONSERVING AND MANAGING CROP DIVERSITY FOR CLIMATE ADAPTATION
Moderation: Dr. Adel El-Beltagi, HLTF member
WHEN SHE ARRIVES:
H.E. Minister Tine Sundtoft, Minister of Climate and Environment of Norway (co-host) : Welcome Speech
Chairman, World Food Prize Committee, Professor M.S. Swaminathan: The importance of the International Treaty for the conservation of agro-biodiversity (VIDEO STATEMENT)
Ambassador for Climate Change of Australia, Dr Justin Lee: Addressing drought, water-scarcity and food crops through the Treaty
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International Fund for Agricultural Development, Mr Mohamed Beavogui: A donor’s perspective
Executive Director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, Ms Marie Haga: Conserving in perpetuity
SECOND SESSION:
BENEFIT SHARING AND TRANSFER OF TECNOLOGIES
Moderation:
Vice-Minister of Indonesia,
HLTF Member
Minister of Agriculture and Land reclamation of Egypt, H.E. Adel El-Beltagy: Using information, communication technologies and nanotechnologies under the Treaty’s Global Information System to produce climate-resilient food crops
Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Union, Dr Dacian Ciolos: Safeguarding Agro-biodiversity through the International Treaty: Completing the Governance of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Minister of Agriculture of Indonesia, H.E. Suswono: Co-development and transfer of climate adaptation technologies through the Treaty
Vice-Minister for the Environment, Energy, Science and Technology at the Ministry of External Relations of Brazil, H.E. Jose Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho: From the Treaty’s Rio 6-Point Action Plan to the New York Climate Change Summit
Director General of Bioversity International, Ms Ann Tutwiler: International research and crop diversity management
THIRD SESSION:
BRINGING SEEDS TO FARMERS
Moderation:
Matthew Worrell, GB6 Chair
Secretary General of the International Cooperation for Development Spain, Gonzalo Robles Orozco: How to expand interventions addressed to the farmers through the Benefit-Sharing Fund
Research Programme on Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CGIAR), Mr Bruce Campbell: New Partnership Models in Crop Diversity Management
Representative of the Seed Industry and the International Seed Federation, Mr Andy Lavigne, President, American Seed Trade Association (ASTA): The portfolio value of a global genepool for food crops
President of the World Farmers Organization: Peter Kendall: The potential of seed and innovation policies to bring climate-resilient seeds to farmers
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DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS AND CLOSING
INTEGRATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CLIMATE-SMART CROPS IN THE INTERNATIONAL TREATY
Moderation:
Dr. Fuad Al-Sajwani
Discussion among Participants
Inter-active discussion among all Ministers and Dignitaries attending the Round Table
Summary of discussions and possible conclusions reached
Dr Geoffrey Hawtin, Senior Technical Advisor, International Treaty
Mr Matthew Worrell, Chairman of the Sixth Session of the Governing Body of the Treaty
Closing
H.E. Minister Fuad bin Jafaar Al-Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Oman
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Annex 3 Draft
New York Communiqué:
The International Treaty, Food Crops and Food Security in a Changing Climate
The International Treaty, Climate Change, and Biodiversity
Background
Climate change presents unprecedented challenges for global food production. Rising temperatures, water-scarcity and increased occurrence of droughts and floods are likely to precipitate further problems such as rising soil salinity and the emergence of new crop pests and diseases. Unless we are able to develop food crops that can tolerate these stresses we risk the breakdown of global food systems and the very serious consequences that this will have for agricultural productivity and food security, particularly for the poorer sections of society.
A key element underpinning our ability to develop climate-resilient crops is the genetic diversity that already exists within and among plant varieties. We have always depended on plant genetic diversity for our food and will rely more heavily on these resources in the face of climate change. Diversity in the field helps provide resilience against changing and variable growing conditions and adaptability to pests and diseases. It is also the basis for breeding new climate-adapted crop varieties capable of producing larger quantities of more nutritious food.
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Countries around the world have recognized their shared dependence on plant genetic diversity, and responded by establishing the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Together they have made the commitment to conserve and exchange crop genetic resources, and equitably share the benefits arising from their use. Today, the International Treaty is the foremost forum for the global governance of these crucial resources.
The International Treaty offers significant opportunities in the fight against hunger and poverty and for achieving food security for all—especially in the face of climate change. It does so by advancing the development of climate-ready crop varieties through a series of open initiatives along the entire value chain of development of germplasm, from site-specific conservation of diversity to the release of new climate-adapted seeds for cultivation.
A Challenge to the World
At today’s Fourth High Level Round Table of the International Treaty Ministers and other high-level dignitaries recognise the interconnectedness of climate change, agricultural productivity and global food security.
We acknowledge that adaptation to climate change, through the development of climate adapted crops, will be critical to future food security. We also affirm the importance of global plant genetic diversity for the development of climate adapted crops and the ability of farmers
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around the world to adapt to climate change. We must make every effort to conserve the diversity existing in our fields and in our genebanks as well as ensuring it is as widely available as possible for use in the future.
We recognise that multiple stages are involved in the production of climate adapted crops, starting from diversity in the field, and highlight the importance of the Treaty’s multiple mechanisms and open initiatives in underpinning each stage of this development chain. The International Treaty:
Has established the Benefit-Sharing Fund, to conserve and manage genetic diversity in developing countries that will be crucial to adapting food crops to climate change. The Fund has already benefited more than 23 000 farmers in 45 countries and is continuing to expand its initiatives;
Has created, and maintains access to and exchange of, a vast genepool of more than 1,5 million accessions worldwide, as a key upstream input to breeding programs, which today transfers between 600 and 800 samples of genetic material every day worldwide;
Has established a global system to exchange information on crop diversity, with a component focussing on plant genomic data, to assess and identify new sources of genetic variation for more efficient breeding;
Promotes private-public partnerships, especially in the use of the latest technologies for breeding new varieties e.g. through crossing crop plants with their wild relatives;
Is launching an open platform to support technology co-development and transfer relating to the conservation and use of crop diversity, together with capacity and institution-building programmes;
Strengthens policies and systems for multiplying and distributing high-quality seeds to farmers in all countries.
While the International Treaty has been able to make a significant impact in all these areas, there is still much to be done. Under the auspices of the High Level Task Force we are committed to working for the benefit of humanity by advancing the conservation and sustainable use of global biodiversity and, in particular, crop diversity for plant breeding, through the International Treaty.
We agree to raise awareness in our countries and regions of the valuable contribution that the International Treaty makes to climate adaptation and the development of climate-adapted crops. We also agree to consider how resources may be most effectively sought and used in supporting the Treaty and its mechanisms to contribute to climate adaptation and food security.
We call on the World’s leaders, and others to make available technical and financial resources to conserve the diversity of the world’s most important food crops, and in particular to support sustainable and immediate income flow into the Benefit-Sharing Fund of the International Treaty.
In recognition of the shared dependence of all nations on crop diversity, we call on all nations to adhere to the terms and conditions of the International Treaty for the exchange of crop genetic resources and to work towards enhancing the International Treaty’s systems for the global interchange of germplasm and data.
We call on all nations to join the open initiatives of the International Treaty to produce climate-ready crop varieties, from conservation and capacity building through to technology transfer and information exchange through the Treaty mechanisms and initiatives.
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We thank the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth of Oman, H.E. Fuad Al-Sajwani, Chairman of the High-level Task Force of the Treaty Benefit-sharing Fund and the other Task Force members and co-hosts for convening this Roundtable and call on the Task Force and all countries to sustain and further raise the high-level engagement with the Treaty and the enhancement of its systems and funds.
