1. Document CGRFA-9/02/15.2 provides a consolidated overview of the activities of the 16 Future Harvest Centres with national and other partner institutions in genetic resources management, research and capacity building, spanning the plant, livestock, aquatic and forest sectors. We welcome your comments on the work presented in this report.
2. I would like to take this opportunity to present the Global Conservation Trust – an initiative that many of you have requested to know more about.
3. The Global Conservation Trust is a joint effort of the FAO and Future Harvest Centres to provide a permanent source of funding for the ex situ conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture around the world. Establishing an endowment that will provide a flow of funds in perpetuity to match the long-term need to conserve plant genetic resources is not a new idea. However, with the adoption of the Global Plan of Action in 1996 and the International Treaty in 2001, the technical and policy frameworks are in place that make it timely to move forward with establishing such an endowment.
4. The goals of the Trust are the conservation, in perpetuity, of the world’s most important collections of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, held nationally and internationally, and the provision of capacity building assistance to holders of key collections in need. The Trust is fully in line with the goals and objectives of the International Treaty and responds to the high priority in the Global Plan of Action for efficient and sustainable conservation of plant genetic resources through strengthened cooperation among national and international institutions.
5. The Trust will operate in the framework of the International Treaty. The Treaty encourages efforts to mobilize resources to support its provisions and the Trust is seen as a component of its funding strategy. The Trust will recognize the authority of the Governing Body of the Treaty to provide policy guidance, and would expect to report regularly to it.
6. The target for the Trust endowment is US$260 million to be raised primarily from governments, south and north, and from corporations and foundations. All three sectors have expressed strong interest in the case for the Trust. At this time, we have received commitments to the endowment and to financing the process of raising funds and establishing the Trust from Switzerland, USAID, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, the World Bank, the UN Foundation and the CGIAR Centres. At the current rate of progress in fund-raising, we hope to have secured US$100 million for the Trust by the end of 2003. Once this initial target has been reached, we expect there to be a call for proposals from holders of eligible collections for support to sustaining the conservation or meeting a capacity building need.
7. In establishing the Global Conservation Trust, the CGIAR and FAO are committed to a transparent and consultative process with broad stakeholder participation, including governments, donors of funds, donors of germplasm, genebank managers, farmers organisations, civil society and non-governmental organisations. There are a number of key issues on which we seek dialogue, including the legal status and governance of the Trust, its modus operandi, financial mechanisms and the location of the secretariat. Dialogue has commenced with representatives of a number of stakeholder groups, including many of you here. The Trust has been discussed at meetings of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research and has received their support. At the time of the World Food Summit in June and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August, we had the opportunity to discuss the Trust with representatives of government and civil society. Significant media coverage of the announcement of plans for the Trust is an indication of the level of general interest in such a cause. Having your support for the Trust and inputs on the issues regarding its establishment and operation is very important. We welcomed the opportunity to present the Trust to members of the Commission last Monday evening and greatly appreciated the many helpful comments and suggestions that were made.
8. FAO and IPGRI (on behalf of the CGIAR) seek to establish a panel of leading experts, representing different stakeholder groups, by the end of this year. This Interim Panel of Eminent Experts would determine the preferred legal status, governance and financial mechanisms for the Trust, based on consultations with a large number of governments, individuals and organizations, south and north. The Interim Panel will also decide upon questions like the proper balance to be achieved in the allocation of funds and will guide the process of establishing the Trust as an efficient and transparent funding mechanism.
9. On the Global Conservation Trust’s Web site www.startwithaseed.org, is a discussion paper describing certain outstanding issues regarding governance (www.startwithaseed.org/pages/governance.htm). I would urge you to look at this paper and contact us with your comments and questions at [email protected]. FAO and the CGIAR look forward to discussing developments with the Trust with you in this and other forums over the coming years, and to call on your support for the establishment of the Global Conservation Trust as a practical and real commitment to world food security, for present and future generations.
