GLOBAL CROP DIVERSITY TRUST: ESTABLISHMENT

UNCLAS ROME 002427

SIPDIS


STATE FOR E, EB, OES/ETC - NEUMANN, EB/TPP/BTT - MALAC,
L/OES AND IO/EDA - KOTOK
USDA FOR FAS - BRICHEY, LREICH AND RHUGHES
AND ARS - BRETTING AND BLALOCK
USAID FOR EGAT - SIMMONS, MOORE AND BERTRAM

FROM U.S. MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES IN ROME

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ETRD EAID SENV KIPR AORC FAO IPGRI
SUBJECT: GLOBAL CROP DIVERSITY TRUST: ESTABLISHMENT
AGREEMENT IS OPEN FOR SIGNATURES

REF: ROME 2418


1. Provided below, for the record, is the text of a
letter from FAO Director General Jacques Diouf, dated
February 13, 2004, inviting member governments to sign
the Agreement that establishes the Global Crop Diversity
Trust. Signature does not imply any financial
commitments to the Trust. Reftel provides further
information and comments.


2. Begin Text:

"The Agreement for the Establishment of the Global Crop
Diversity Trust"

An international fund to support the conservation of
plant genetic resources for food and agriculture is being
established by the Food Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO),together with the International
Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI),acting on
behalf of the International Agricultural Research Centres
of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research (CGIAR)

-------------- --------------

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations has the honour to
transmit the Agreement for the Establishment of the
Global Crop Diversity Trust and its Constitution.

FAO, together with the International Plant Genetic
Resources Institute (IPGRI),acting on behalf of the
International Agricultural Research Centres of the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
(CGIAR),is in the process of establishing an
international fund to support the conservation of plant
genetic resources for food and agriculture. The fund,
known as the Global Crop Diversity Trust, will support
the upgrading of important collections, help build the
capacity of countries to maintain them and will
contribute to their long-term maintenance. The Trust
will give special attention to supporting national
collections maintained by developing countries as well as
those held in trust by international organizations for
the world community.

The Global Crop Diversity Trust is being set up as
part of the funding strategy foreseen in Article 18 of
the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for
Food and Agriculture. It will focus its support on the
conservation of those crops that are listed in Annex 1 or
in Article 15 of the Treaty. While the Trust will be
independent, it will maintain strong links to the Treaty
and will operate under the policy guidance of the
Governing Body of the Treaty. Furthermore, the Executive
Board of the Global Crop Diversity Trust will include
among its membership four members appointed by the
Governing Body of the Treaty as well as one each by the
Director-General of FAO and the Chair of the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research.

The Director-General invites your Government to sign
the attached Agreement establishing the Global Crop
Diversity Trust as an independent entity under
international law. The Constitution of the Trust is
annexed to the Establishment Agreement and is an integral
part of it. By signing this agreement, your Government
will be signalling that it recognizes the Trust as an
international entity. Signature does not carry with it
any financial or other obligation to support the Trust.

The Trust will become a legal entity upon the
signature of the seventh Member, as long as at least four
are developing countries and providing they are from at
least five of the regions recognized by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The Director-General of the FAO is the depositary of
this Agreement. It will be open for signature at FAO
Headquarters in Rome until 31 March 2006. Countries that
wish to accede to the Trust after this date will be able
to deposit their instruments of accession with FAO.

Through signing this Agreement, your country will


become party to establishing a very important
international funding mechanism that aims to provide
stable and sustainable financial support for the world's
most important germplasm collections. Ensuring these
important materials are not lost is a vital contribution
to future food security and the development of
sustainable agriculture.

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations looks forward to
receiving soon your signature on the attached document so
that the Global Crop Diversity Trust will become a
legally constituted international entity at the earliest
possible date.

End text.

Hall


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2004ROME02427 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED