The sixteenth session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA 16) submitted two draft resolutions to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Conference, at the close of its session in Rome, Italy.
The resolutions outline the Commission’s contribution to achieving the SDGs, and reaffirm the international community’s commitment to its Global Plan of Action to maintain genetic diversity of farm animals and domesticated species.
The meeting was preceded by a special event on 'The Contribution of Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture to Resilience'.
3 February 2017: The sixteenth session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA 16) submitted two draft resolutions to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Conference, at the close of its meeting in Rome, Italy. The resolutions outline the Commission’s contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and reaffirm the international community’s commitment to its Global Plan of Action to maintain the genetic diversity of farm animals and domesticated species.
CGRFA 16 adopted resolutions that outline the Commission’s contribution to achieving the SDGs, and reaffirm the international community’s commitment to its Global Plan of Action to maintain the genetic diversity of farm animals and domesticated species.
The resolution on “the CGRFA and its contribution towards the achievement of the SDGs” invites FAO members to include implementation of the Commission’s Global Plans of Action in their national efforts to achieve the Goals. It emphasizes SDG 2 on zero hunger and its target 2.5 on maintaining the genetic diversity of plants, farm animals and their related wild species. The resolution recognizes the Commission as an important partner of FAO, and encourages synergies among stakeholders whose work contributes to achieving the SDGs related to food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture, and biodiversity.
The Commission affirmed FAO’s contribution to the work of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) and invited countries to actively engage with the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), including through the preparation of voluntary national reviews of biodiversity for food and agriculture.
CGRFA 16 also discussed, among other matters, preparation of the Report on the State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture (SOW-BFA) and access and benefit-sharing (ABS) in the area of genetic resources for food and agriculture (GRFA). The meeting reviewed its Programme of Work on Climate Change and GRFA, as well as the implementation of targets and indicators for GRFA.
The meeting agreed to establish a multilateral trust fund to attract extra-budgetary resources for programme implementation, noting the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the European Commission’s ‘Horizon 2020’ research programme as potential donors.
The CGRFA meets every two years to update its rolling work plan and review achievements on plant genetic resources (PGR), forest genetic resources (FGR), aquatic genetic resources (AQGR) and animal genetic resources (ANGR). CGRFA 16 convened from 30 January to 3 February, 2017.
On Saturday, 28 January, a special event on ‘The Contribution of Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture to Resilience’ preceded CGRFA 16. Discussions at the event considered the contribution of genetic resources to helping countries and communities develop agricultural strategies that enhance resilience and improve their ability to recover from disasters. [CGRFA 16 Web Page] [IISD RS Report on CGRFA 16] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Special Event]