17 June 2013: As announced by the Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR), Oman will host a Ministerial Conference on water and the ITPGR on 21 September 2013, immediately prior the fifth session of the ITPGR Governing Body (GB). ITPGR GB 5 is scheduled to take place from 24-28 September 2013, in Muscat, Oman.

The Ministerial Conference will focus on uses of water for agricultural purposes, food crops and food security, to address climate change and drought through the ITPGR. “Water and drought are increasingly critical issues for plant genetic resources and food production in numerous regions, so we hope that the Ministerial Conference in Oman will allow ministers to discuss concrete actions on how to sustain food security and crop production under drought conditions and under the impact of climate change on smallholder farmers,” said ITPGR Secretary Shakeel Bhatti. GB Chair Javad Mozafari (Iran) indicated that the Ministerial Conference is an important opportunity to draw attention to the major issues directly concerning the Near East region.

GB 5 will address a range of issues including implementation of the Treaty’s Multilateral System (MLS) of access and benefit-sharing (ABS), the funding strategy and farmers’ rights. [ITPGR Press Release][ITPGR GB 5 Documents]