11/09/2008

The Secretariat of the International Treaty, together with the International Spanish Cooperation Agency (AECI) and the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs of Spain recently organized a seminar for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region in Colombia on the implementation of the Treaty.

The Seminar was addressed to the National Focal Points of the Treaty and to the responsible officers in the public sector which are directly involved in the national implementation of the Treaty. The seminar, attended by twenty-five participants, was held at the Spanish Training Centre for Cooperation of Cartagena de Indias from July 28 to August 1 2008 and its main objective was to facilitate the exchange of experiences and generate a common basis of understanding on the International Treaty.

The event also helped to identify regional needs related to the implementation of the Treaty and to update the participants on the decisions taken by the Governing Body at its Second regular session.

The advantage of organising a first seminar of this kind was framed on the rapid expansion and progress on the implementation of the Treaty and by challenges and tasks faced by Contracting Parties. In this respect, some of the topics covered were the creation or adjustment of national legal and policy frameworks for the implementation of the Treaty and the establishment of functional and administrative procedures to implement national plans and strategies.

During the five-day course, participants discussed the options for national execution of the main topics linked to developments of the Multilateral System, including the legal, technical and support tools, the Funding Strategy, Farmers’ Rights and the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources. The methodology employed included thematic presentations, the organization of round tables and panel discussions and the analysis of the results for a future follow-up. 

The seminar also helped to identify current issues of great relevance for the implementation of the Treaty related to rural, social, economic, financial and administrative aspects. It also moved some possible solutions to obstacles and stressed the need for increased academic, technical and basic training activities on the International Treaty and its implications at national level. The importance of this seminar lies on the quality of speakers and represents, at the present time, the first regional event for exchanging national experiences on the implementation of the Treaty.