April 2011: The Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) has produced the first in a series of five comprehensive educational modules on the operation of the Treaty.

Launched during the fourth session of the ITPGR Governing Body, held from 14-18 March 2011, in Bali, Indonesia, the material was developed in a participatory process involving experts and stakeholders of all regions.

Module 1 on “Introduction to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture” contains general information that is designed for newcomers to the Treaty and the crop diversity policy area. It presents the Treaty and its main components in the context of the broader legal framework governing crop diversity, and shows how the Treaty has been set up to cope with global challenges such as food security, climate change and the loss of crop diversity. It includes five lessons, which focus on: a global treaty for food security in an era of climate change; objectives, scope and basic concepts; history of the Treaty; main components and governance of the Treaty; and the legal architecture governing crop diversity and partnerships for implementation.

The subsequent modules will provide details about the Treaty’s main components: conservation and sustainable use, farmers’ rights, the Multilateral System and the Funding Strategy.

The ITPGR Secretariat currently is seeking additional funds to secure the completion of the modules, translate them into all official languages of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), and develop further support materials. [FAO Press Release] [Publication: Introduction to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture]