The Secretariats of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration on a range of activities related to the documentation of and information on crop germplasm.
The MoU acknowledges ongoing fruitful collaboration and responds to the need for mutual support in the promotion of activities and projects relevant to the ITPGRFA’s and ECPGR’s respective mandates.
14 December 2016: The Secretariats of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration on a range of activities related to the documentation of and information on crop germplasm.
The MoU acknowledges ongoing fruitful collaboration and responds to the need for mutual support in the promotion of activities and projects relevant to the ITPGRFA’s and ECPGR’s respective mandates. It also provides for collaboration on access to information and plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) documentation, including joint advocacy for the adoption of international standards.
ECPGR is a collaborative programme covering 43 European countries. It aims to ensure the long-term conservation and facilitate the utilization of PGRFA in Europe. ECPGR is responsible for the European Genebank Integrated System (AEGIS); serves as an online search catalogue (EURISCO), providing information about ex situ plant collections of the region; and supports the work of the European central crop databases.
The Second Global Consultation on Farmers’ Rights convened in Bali, Indonesia, from 27-30 September 2016. Organized by the Governments of Indonesia and Norway, with the support of the ITPGRFA Secretariat, the event facilitated an exchange of views and experiences in implementing farmers’ rights. [FAO Press Release on MoU between ITPGRFA and ECPGR] [ECPGR Website] [AEGIS Webpage] [EURISCO Website] [FAO Press Release on Second Global Consultation on Farmers’ Rights]