The interim Panel of Eminent Experts for the Establishment of the Global Conservation Trust, which operates within the framework of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, met for the first time on 25-26 February 2003 in Rome, Italy, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Fernando Gerbasi (Venezuela).

The Panel considered legal options and rules of governance of the Trust, and drafted ethical guidelines for the receipt, management and disbursement of funds. The Trust, spearheaded by the Future Harvest Centre of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and FAO, aims to conserve the world’s seed varieties and protect crop diversity from natural disasters, war and other threats. While it seeks to raise an endowment of US$260 million, approximately US$25 million have already been committed by the governments of the United States, Switzerland, Egypt and Colombia, and the UN and Gatsby Foundations. More information on this meeting is available online at: http://ipgri-pa.grinfo.net/index.php?itemid=61