24 November 2015: The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released a set of voluntary guidelines for integrating the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources for food and agriculture (GRFA) into national climate change adaptation planning, in accordance with UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) principles.

The guidelines aim to: promote the use of GRFA in climate change adaptation and support their integration into the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process; facilitate the identification of challenges and opportunities; and promote GRFA stakeholder involvement in the NAP process.

Following the structure of the UNFCCC technical guidelines for NAP processes, the document lays out four elements of activities for GRFA integration, namely: laying the groundwork and addressing gaps; developing the preparatory framework; developing the implementation strategy; and monitoring, reviewing, reporting and communicating progress. [FAO Press Release] [UN Press Release][Publication: Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Integration of Genetic Diversity into National Climate Change Adaptation Planning] [Interview with CGRFA Secretary Irene Hoffmann] [CGRFA Webpage]