What is the National Mechanism?

The Government of Pakistan signed an agreement with FAO to participate in the regional cooperative project GCP/RAS/186/JPN "Implementation of the Global Plan of Action (GPA) for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) in Asia and the Pacific Region�. FAO funded a NISM follow up project GCP/RAS/240/JPN “Capacity Building and Regional Cooperation for Enhancing the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources in Asia� in 2009. The project aims (i) to promote the implementation of the GPA, (ii) to contribute establishing an ongoing monitoring framework for the GPA implementation at national and regional levels, (iii) to set up a mechanism for gathering and sharing information to establish a National Information Sharing Mechanism on the implementation of GPA (NISM-GPA) and (iv) to determine priority areas for the GPA implementation. The project is funded by the Government of Japan.

The overall objective of the network is to share information related to plant genetic resources and to implement the Global Plant of Action on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) in Pakistan . Specifically as a tool for:

  • Conserving the historical memory of Pakistan on PGRFA;
  • Assisting decision-making processes on PGRFA in the country, including the identification of needs, the establishment of priorities, and the allocation of resources;
  • Building stronger partnerships in PGRFA management among national stakeholders;
  • Increasing understanding about the status and dynamics of PGRFA; and
  • Meeting Pakistan's reporting obligations in international fora, such as the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the International Treaty on PGRFA.

How this Mechanism is useful ?

The Mechanism is used to facilitate the access to and for the analysis of information, to assist decision-making processes, and to conserve the country's historical memory on PGRFA. T hrough this Mechanism, the participating institutions are given an opportunity to highlight their efforts.

Based on the information available through this Mechanism, a country report on the State of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Pakistan has been prepared which will assist in the identification of needs and setting priority areas for the work. It could also be used for coordinating and planning the PGR activities in the country. An immediate output from establishing the NISM-GPA is a strategic report on the state of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in the country prepared by the national focal point, in collaboration with the stakeholders, that was submitted to the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as Pakistan's contribution to the preparation of the Second Report on the State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture .

What instruments does the Mechanism use?

A set of tools agreed by the FAO Commission on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture include:

How does it operate?

The project operates through the contribution of national institutions, national universities and organizations coordinated by the GPA National Focal Point.

Who can participate into the Mechanism?

All stakeholders, specifically, national institutions, national universities, organizations, which contribute to the conservation and sustainable utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in the country can be part of the Mechanism by contacting the National Focal Point.