Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is a permanent forum for the negotiation of international instruments and codes of conduct, and co-ordinating policy related to the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources of relevance to food and agriculture. The Commission aims to reach international consensus on areas of global interest.

With its 170 member countries in 2007, the Commission is the only intergovernmental body specifically dealing with all components of biological diversity for food and agriculture. It meets once every biennium to provide a neutral forum for the international community. The Commission was originally established in 1983 as the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources by the FAO Conference, (Resolution 9/83), to deal with issues related to plant genetic resources. In 1995, its mandate was broadened (Resolution 3/95), to cover all components of agro-biodiversity of relevance to food and agriculture. It was then renamed the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA).

The Commission deals with policy, sectoral and cross-sectoral matters related to the conservation and utilisation of biological diversity for food and agriculture. It developed and oversees the implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, adopted in 2007 by the International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The Commission also monitors the Global System for Plant Genetic Resources. It has two subsidiary bodies: the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITWG-AnGR) and the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITWG-PGR) to deal with specific matters in these areas. The Commission negotiated the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, adopted in 2001, and acted as Interim Committee for the Treaty until 2006.

The Commission facilitates and oversees co-operation between FAO and other relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental bodies, including, the Conference of Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).

The Multi-year Programme of Work: The Commission, at its Eleventh Regular Session in June 2007, adopted a rolling 10-year Multi-year Programme of Work covering the totality of biodiversity for food and agriculture. The programme includes the publication of the first-ever State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture and the integration of the ecosystem approach into biodiversity management in agriculture, forestry and fisheries.