Western and Central Africa Regional Meeting Report Utilization of plant in genetic resources: 9. Expanding the characterization, evaluation and number of core     collections to facilitate use   Country Actions taken since mid-1995/Sources of founding Constrains/Needs Opportunities Support required from regional & international organizations East & South Mediterranean Algeria   Information not available Cyprus   · These activities are undertaken by different programmes at ARI to facilitate use · National funding   Not mentioned   · Regional collaboration for characterizing PGR · Submission of project proposals at regional level   Promoting and encouraging joint activities by developing joint projects   Egypt   · Evaluation activities were very limited during the last 3 years · Use of available PGR still inhibited   · Lack of funds and absence of reliable conservation facilities · Information on PGR in Bahteem are very limited and poorly documented · Training   · Strengthening the NPGRU · Regional projects Financial and technical assistance   Jordan   Information not available Lebanon   Information not available Libya   Information not available Malta   Not applicable Not mentioned Not mentioned Not mentioned Morocco   · In addition to usual characterization and agronomic evaluation and in order to appreciate the genetic diversity, quantitative traits and iso-enzymatic variability were analyzed for several species · Grading of evaluation activities · National and international funding   Insufficiency of means   Regional collaboration Financial and technical support   Palestine   Not applicable. Collecting will be initiated within regional projects   Technical and financial assistance   Regional assistance and collaboration Financial and technical support   Syria   · 2680 accessions evaluated since 1995 · Two laboratories analyzing genetic components by electrophoresis methods   Not mentioned   Not mentioned Not mentioned   Tunisia   · These activities are undertaken by different breeding programmes · National funding   · Lack of facilities · Training   · Establishment of National Centre for conservation of Genetic Resources · Strengthening national coordination   Financial and technical support   Turkey   Existence of characterization and evaluation project Not mentioned Not mentioned Not mentioned West Asia Afghanistan   Evaluation of new collection and repatriated collection Not mentioned Not mentioned Not mentioned Bahrain   Information not available Iran   Information not available Iraq   Information not available Kuwait   Information not available Oman   No substantial work has been done due to financial limitations and need for qualified personnel   Need for qualified national personnel in PGR related fields (taxonomy, physiology, genetics and environmental sciences)   Not in immediate future Financial support from regional and international organization for any further programmes or continuing existing programmes   Pakistan   · 19,009 accessions of different crops germplasm were provided to different research organization within the country and abroad to promote sustainable utilization of crop germplasm · Germplasm of especially chickpea, lentil, wheat, barley, oat, rice was enormously used in crop breeding · Several crop catalogues were published for dissemination and expeditious utilization   Need Additional funds   Promote Regional and international collaboration   Financial and technical support   Qatar   Not mentioned Not mentioned Not mentioned Not mentioned Saudi Arabia   Information not available United Arab Emirates   Information not available Yemen   Information not available   Central Asia Armenia   Information not available Azerbaijan   Activities are conducted by different research institutes   Insufficient funding   Regional collaboration   Financial support   Kazakhstan   Information not available Kyrgyz Republic   Information not available Tajikstan   Information not available Uzbekistan   These activities are conducted by different research institutes Insufficient funding Regional collaboration Financial support TOC