13 July 2014: Hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the first meeting of the Steering Committee discussed the implementation of the Near East and North Africa (NENA) Action Plan for the Benefit-sharing Fund of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR).

The ITPGR NENA Action Plan resulted from the Ministerial Conference held in the framework of the fifth meeting of the ITPGR Governing Body, which took place in September 2013, in Muscat, Oman. It addresses water, plant genetic resources, and food security in the region. “This plan is of a paramount importance for the NENA region,” said Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, FAO Assistant Director-General for the Near East and North Africa, “It provides a framework that spells out goals to be achieved and specific measures to be implemented by countries and partners of the Near East and North Africa, including FAO.”

“The Benefit-Sharing Fund of the International Treaty is well placed to make a significant contribution to addressing drought and food security in the NENA region,” said ITPGR Secretary, Shakeel Bhatti. He added also that, “With the needed financial support, the Treaty can assist the NENA region to cope with drought and desertification’s impact on local food crops by using plant genetic diversity and new technologies to develop drought- and salinity tolerant crops for the region. The Treaty NENA Action Plan would also conserve most, if not all, of the cultivated diversity of major crops currently existing in the region.” [ITPGR Press Release]