The third session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture convened from 1-5 June 2009, in Tunis, Tunisia.

Following two days of lengthy procedural discussions regarding the establishment of contact groups on the funding strategy and/or compliance, and the eventual agreement to establish both, the Governing Body managed to make good progress going through its heavy agenda. Delegates agreed to: a set of outcomes for implementation of the funding strategy, including a financial target of US$116 million for the period July 2009 to December 2014; a resolution on implementation of the Treaty’s Multilateral System including setting up an intersessional advisory committee on implementation issues; a resolution on farmers’ rights; and procedures for the Third Party Beneficiary. They also adopted the work programme and budget for the next biennium; agreed to the urgent need to finalize the outstanding financial rules at the fourth session; and established intersessional processes to finalize compliance procedures by the fourth session, and review the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA). The fourth session of the Governing Body is scheduled to be held in the second or third quarter of 2011, in Indonesia.
Link to further information
IISD RS coverage of the meeting