Strengthening Central Asia's Commitment to Plant Genetic Diversity
Supporting Countries to Join the International Treaty
Tashkent, Uzbekistan – The Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) supported the symposium on “The Role of Plant Genetic Resources in Global Climate Change and Food Security,” organized by the UzbekistanResearch Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (RIPGR) to commemorate its 100th anniversary.
The event took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and brought together more than 200 experts from all over Central Asia, including international partners and organizations. They discussed avenues to improve food security through the use of genetic resources.
Central Asia is considered one of the primary centres of origin for many cultivated plants, including apricots, cherries, apples, pears, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, and various vegetables. It is also a major producer and exporter of wheat, barley, rice, corn and potatoes.
“Many of these food crops are critical for global food security, some of which are currently facing significant threats of loss and genetic erosion”, said Kent Nnadozie, Secretary of the International Treaty, and congratulated the Institute on its anniversary.
The scientific symposium, held from 7 to 9 November, emphasized the importance of conserving, sharing, and using food crops to adapt agrifood systems to climate change, making them more resilient and enhancing global food security.
The Secretariat of the International Treaty provided an overview of the Treaty’s main mechanisms, including the Multilateral System, the Benefit-sharing Fund and the collaborations on information exchange and scientific matters.
Many speakers at the symposium highlighted the urgency for all countries in Central Asia to join the International Treaty. Currently, Kyrgyzstan is the only country in this subregion that has joined the Treaty and started its implementation as a Contracting Party.
“By joining the International Treaty, countries in Central Asia can strengthen their capacities to conserve and sustainably use these invaluable resources while benefitting from international collaboration and support,” Secretary Nnadozie emphasized.
The symposium was organized with the technical support of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan and key international bodies, including the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), the Crop Trust, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT),and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).
The Secretariat also visited Azerbaijan in November, just a few days before hosting one of the largest UN Climate Change Conferences, to discuss with the national authorities the benefits that membership to the International Treaty could bring to its agricultural sector.
The Secretariat is also sharing information about the membership benefits with Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, and will continue to support all the countries in the subregion with training and capacity-building activities.
@PlantTreaty
#ItAllStartsWithTheSeed #CentralAsia #PlantGeneticResources