9 July 2018: The Secretariats of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation meant to enhance collaboration in areas of mutual interest related to genetic resources. The Memorandum addresses, in particular, the development of synergies between the Treaty’s Global Information System and the CBD’s Access and Benefit-sharing Clearing-House.

The Memorandum also includes: a joint initiative for on-farm conservation of plant genetic resources; work on sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and protected areas; and the promotion of the importance of biodiversity for food security and nutrition under a changing climate. The two Secretariats will be working together in organizing workshops, seminars and other events, and in the coordination of technical assistance at the international, regional, and national levels. Such cooperative activities contribute directly towards achieving a range of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, including SDG 2.4 on sustainable food production systems, 2.5 on genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, and 15.6 on fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources.

The CBD, its Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing, and the ITPGRFA all form part of the international regime on access and benefit-sharing, and share objectives related to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and the sharing of the benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources. They also recognize the important role of indigenous peoples and local communities in conserving and using biodiversity sustainably.

The Memorandum was signed on the margins of the second meeting of the CBD’s Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI), held in Montreal, Canada, from 9-13 July 2018. [CBD Press Release] [IISD RS Coverage of SBSTTA 22 and SBI 2] [ITPGRFA Website]