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The 12th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) concluded successfully in Rome, Italy on September 19, 2024. The meeting, which began September 16, 2024, discussed ways to enhance the multilateral system established under the ITPGRFA.
These discussions are vital for food security and sustainable agriculture, addressing key challenges such as rising food demand, promoting resilient agricultural practices, and ensuring equitable access to resources.
The Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group was established by the Governing Body of the ITPGRFA in 2013. Participants included global delegates, members of civil society, farmers’ organisations, and representatives from the seed industry.
The delegates focused discussions on three main hotspots:
Digital Sequence Information (DSI) and how to share plant genetic information responsibly to ensure fair benefits for all involved.
Expanding Annex I, which is a list of 35 food crops and 29 forage crops considered important for food security. The group discussed whether to add more important plant species to make sharing easier between countries.
Payment structures for benefit sharing: Delegates considered how to set fair prices for sharing plant resources to ensure resource providers are fairly compensated.
Although the treaty was put in place in 2001, issues concerning the equitable sharing of monetary benefits persisted. A working group was formed in 2013 to improve the functioning of the multilateral system. However, the final decision on the working group’s suggestion on amending Annex I to encompass all plant genetic resources were not concluded before it was terminated in 2019. Talks resumed in 2022 to build on the June 2019 draft package, with a mandate to resolve issues around the three “hotspots”.
The 12th Meeting highlighted continued divergence of opinion on these topics.
Delegates introduced a new subscription mechanism designed to ensure communities benefit from providing access to genetic resources, even in cases where products developed from these resources fail to reach commercialisation. The mechanism offers two benefit-sharing options: one involving payment upon registration, and the other payment upon commercialisation of a product.
Regarding Annex I, discussions focused on how plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) should be defined, how species should be identified and the relationship between the genetic resources governed by the Treaty and those under the United Nations Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Participants continued to wrestle with the challenge of balancing the need for improved benefit-sharing mechanisms while ensuring that all stakeholders’ interests, including those of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, are adequately represented. But despite years of discussion, clarity remains elusive.
The primary goal of the meeting was to establish a fairer system for sharing the benefits derived from plant genetic resources used in agriculture. Such a system would ensure that farmers and communities contributing to crop diversity receive proper recognition and compensation for their efforts.
Co-Chairs Sunil Archak of India and Michael Ryan of Australia stressed the importance of creating a transparent benefit-sharing framework that works for both resource providers and users.
The meeting concluded with discussions on future actions, including the new subscription mechanism and potential amendments to Annex I. The next meeting, scheduled for March-April 2025, will review the outcomes of the 12th Meeting and continue discussions on topics such as digital sequence information and payment structures. Decisions are expected by the 11th session of the Treaty’s Governing Body in November 2025.