The 11th meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the Multilateral System (MLS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) will convene to discuss matters related to the implementation of the MLS. The Working Group aims to finalize the enhancement of the functioning of the MLS, including discussions related to a sustainable, predictable stream of user-based income to the Benefit-sharing Fund.

The ITPGR Secretariat will organize the meeting.

In 2013, the Contracting Parties to the MLS decided to start a formal process to enhance the functioning of the MLS and set up a working group tasked with recommending measures. The Working Group met ten times between 2014 and 2019. In 2022, the Governing Body decided to reestablish the Working Group with the aim of finalizing the enhancement process by 2025.

The tenth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the MLS of the ITPGRFA revealed continued divergence between party positions on several issues. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) analysis of the meeting notes that “[f]or the enhancement of the MLS to succeed, three different but equally essential elements are needed: enhancing understanding and bridging positions on controversial items; analyzing legal challenges and developing workable solutions; and, as a prerequisite, building trust among negotiators”.

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dates: 16-18 April 2024
location: Roma, Lazio, Italy
www: https://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/meetings/en/