09/06/2015

More than 30 ministers, high-level representatives and members of the High-Level Task Force of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture met today at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) under the chairmanship of H.E. Fuad bin Jaafar Al-Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Sultanate of Oman, and discussed ways to enhance resource mobilization.

The High-Level Task Force helps raise awareness about the Treaty and the Benefit-Sharing Fund amongst Contracting Parties and other potential donors. Task Force members act as Treaty Ambassadors, gathering support for the Treaty within their spheres of influence, particularly for the Treaty’s Benefit-Sharing Fund.

The Secretary of the International Treaty, Dr Shakeel Bhatti, opened the meeting with an short analysis of the impacts of the Fund during the two first rounds of funded projects, highlighting the fact that more than 70,000 farmers have benefitted directly and over 250 grassroots organizations have been involved, to date.

The Task Force focused on the urgency of mobilizing financial support for the Benefit-Sharing Fund by September 2015 to facilitate the opening of the Fourth Call of Project Proposals. They shared ideas of how best to secure resources for the continued and effective functioning of the Benefit-Sharing Fund and other activities of the Treaty, including increasing media outreach and the dissemination of impact stories.

The issue of funding will be discussed again at the Sixth Session of Governing Body of the International Treaty in October 2015, and the Task Force is preparing further meetings for early 2016.

More information on the High-Level Task Force.