On 31 March 2004, 12 countries and the European Community ratified the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture bringing to 48 the number of countries worldwide that have ratified the agreement. It will therefore enter into force on 29 June 2004. The objectives of this new legally-binding Treaty are the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from their use for sustainable agriculture and food security. The implementation of the Treaty will be an important contribution to the achievement of the World Food Summit`s major objective of halving the number of hungry people by 2015. All will benefit, from farmers to consumers, including researchers and breeders from both the public and the private sectors. See the International Treaty web page (http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/itpgr.htm) or contact [email protected] for more information. See the FAO news release at http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/39887/index.html (in Arabic, English, French and Spanish).

07/04/2004