http://www.planttreaty.org

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The International Treaty on Plant Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture Dr. Shakeel
Bhatti Secretary, ITPGRFA
http//www.planttreaty.org
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Overview

1. International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources
   Key features for non-commercial research
2. Non-commercial research in the Multilateral
   System of ABS the Treaty
3. Lessons learned from the Multilateral System of
   ABS

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Key features general

• adopted 2001 in force 2004 operational 2007
• Objectives conservation, sustainable use,
  benefit-sharing, in harmony with CBD, and for
  sustainable agriculture and food security
• Scope of the Treaty all plant genetic resources
  for food and agriculture (PGRFA)
• Scope of the MLS incl all PGRFA on Annex I that
  are under the management of the CPs and in public
  domain
• Annex I crops provide 80 of world food from
  plants

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Key provisions for non-commercial research

• Exploration, Collection, Characterization,
  Evaluation and Documentation (Art.5)
• Multilateral System of ABS
• Facilitated Access (Art.12)
• Benefit-sharing
• Exchange of information (Art.13.2(a))
• Commercial benefit-sharing (Art.13.2(d))
• Global Information System (Art.17)

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Key features MLS

• In the exercise of their sovereign rights,
  countries pool their PGRFA in a Multilateral
  System of ABS
• MLS now a day-to-day operational system
• facilitated access is granted for research,
  breeding and training for food and agriculture ?
  MLS is a ABS system customized for agricultural
  research
• MLS implemented through a Standard MTA (SMTA)
• in first 8 months more than 89,000 transfers
  under SMTAs
• each SMTA reporting obligations to Governing
  Body
• today more than 600 transfers/day under SMTAs
• these transfers are continuation of previous
  exchanges.

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Non-commercial research in the Multilateral
System of ABS (MLS)

• Facilitated access non-commercial research in
  the MLS
• for the purpose of utilization and conservation
  for research, breeding and training for food and
  agriculture, provided that such purpose does not
  include chemical, pharmaceutical and/or other
  non-food/feed industrial uses. (A.12.3(a))
• facilitated access is expeditious, without the
  need to track individual accessions and free of
  charge (A.12.3(b))
• passport data and ... available non-confidential
  descriptive information, shall be made available
  with the plant genetic resources ... provided
  (A.12.3(c))
• Recipients shall not claim any IPRs that limit
  the facilitated access to the plant genetic
  resources ..., or their genetic parts or
  components, in the form received from the
  Multilateral System (A.12.3(d))

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Non-commercial research in the Multilateral
System of ABS (MLS)

• Benefit-sharing non-commercial research in the
  MLS
• Exchange of information
• CPs agree to make available information which
  shall ... encompass catalogues and inventories,
  information on technologies, results of
  technical, scientific and socio-economic
  research, including characterization, evaluation
  and utilization, regarding those PGRFA under the
  Multilateral System. (Art.13.2(a))
• Commercial benefit-sharing (Art.13.2(d))
• requirement that a recipient who commercializes
  a product ... that incorporates material accessed
  from the Multilateral System, shall pay ... an
  equitable share of the benefits arising from the
  commercialization of that product, except
  whenever such a product is available without
  restriction to others for further research and
  breeding, in which case the recipient who
  commercializes shall be encouraged to make such
  payment.

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International Treaty Research commercial
benefit-sharing
Benefit-sharing fund
1 million accessions 100,000 transfers 07 600
transf/day
GB
SMTA1
P1
Others
CP
Intl org
Natural and legal person
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Transfers of rice germplasm under SMTAs from
CGIAR Centers (1.1.-1.8.07) Sample only
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Transfers of rice germplasm under SMTAs from
CGIAR Centers by type of genetic material and
IARC
Illustrative only
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Transfers of rice germplasm under SMTAs from IRRI
global IRRI transfers by Sector
Illustrative only
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Transfers of rice germplasm under SMTAs from IRRI
by sector and country
Illustrative only
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The Treaty and the CBD

• Art. 1.2.
• The Treatys objectives will be attained by
  closely linking the Treaty to the FAO and to the
  CBD
• Recognizing that this Treaty and other
  international agreements relevant to this Treaty
  should be mutually supportive with a view to
  sustainable agriculture and food security

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Lessons learned

• Multilateral System is an ABS system customized
  to facilitate inter alia agricultural research
• research can be integrated into access conditions
  and terms of benefit-sharing
• interface wh IPRs can be managed
• so far, IT-PGRFA has done so successfully in
  operationalizing the MLS-ABS
• reflect MLS and its relevance for agricultural
  research in IR