20 June 2011
Reports of Technical Working Groups on Plant, Forest Genetic Resources Posted
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The reports of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group (ITWG) on Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) and of the first session of the ITWG on Forest Genetic Resources (FGR), held in the framework of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will be considered by the thirteenth session of the CGRFA, to be held in July 2011.

FAOJune 2011: The reports of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group (ITWG) on Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) and of the first session of the ITWG on Forest Genetic Resources (FGR), held in the framework of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), have been made available online.

The reports will be considered by the thirteenth session of the CGRFA, to be held from 18-22 July 2011, in Rome, Italy.

The fifth session of the ITWG-PGR was held from 27-29 April 2011, in Rome, Italy. Among other issues, the Working Group welcomed the draft updated “Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture,” as clearly reflecting the gaps and needs identified in “The Second Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.” It also emphasized the valuable role of the Facilitating Mechanism for the implementation of the Global Plan of Action, noted with satisfaction the achievements of the FAO-led Global Partnership Initiative on Plant Breeding Capacity Building, and stressed the importance of, and need for, on-farm management of PGRFA and in situ conservation of crop wild relatives, especially in light of global challenges such as climate change.

The first session of the ITWG-FGR was held from 4-6 April 2011, in Rome, Italy. Among other issues, the Working Group welcomed progress made in the preparation of the “State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources” and emphasized the importance of multi-stakeholder consultations at country level in gathering and validating information for the preparation of country reports. It strongly recommended that the CGRFA urge countries to nominate national focal points to ensure the timely delivery of country reports for the “State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources.” The Working Group also addressed the issue of biotechnologies for the conservation and utilization of forest genetic resources, and emphasized the need for the development of specific standards and technical protocols for the molecular characterization of FGR. [ITWG-PGR Report][ITWG-FGR Report]

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