Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) (OCB-725)

View documents of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

• To keep under continuous review all matters relating to the policy, programmes and activities of FAO in the area of genetic resources of relevance to food and agriculture, including their conservation and sustainable use and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from their utilization, and to advise the Director-General and the Council and, as appropriate, its Technical Committees, including in particular the Committees on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, on such matters;
• to recommend such measures as may be necessary or desirable to ensure the development, as appropriate, of a comprehensive global system or systems on genetic resources of relevance to food and agriculture and to monitor the operation of its/their components, in harmony, where applicable, with the Convention on Biological Diversity and other relevant international instruments;
• to provide an intergovernmental forum for negotiations and to oversee the development, upon the request of the FAO Governing Bodies, of other international agreements, Undertakings, Codes of Conduct or other instruments relating to genetic resources of relevance to food and agriculture, and to monitor the operation of such instruments;
• to facilitate and oversee cooperation between FAO and other international governmental and non-governmental bodies dealing with the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources, in particular with the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, and to seek to develop appropriate mechanisms for cooperation and coordination in consultation with such bodies;
• subject to approval by the Governing Bodies of FAO, as appropriate, to respond to requests from the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in the specific area of genetic resources of relevance to food and agriculture, including the provision of information and other services to the Conference of the Parties and its Subsidiary Bodies, especially in the areas of early warning systems, global assessment and clearing-house facilities, in particular, and as appropriate, through the Global System for the Conservation and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

Open to all Members and Associate Members of the Organization, and composed of those Members or Associate Members that notify the Director-General of their desire to be considered Members.

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Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

The Commission may establish Intergovernmental Sectorial Working Groups, with appropriate geographical balance, in the areas of plant, animal, forestry and fisheries genetic resources. There are currently three Sectoral Working Groups:

• Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (NFI-816)
• Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (NSA-712)
• Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Forest Genetic Resources (NFO-738)
• Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (NSP-813)

The Commission may establish such other Subsidiary Bodies as it may deem necessary for the effective discharge of its functions. In 2011, the Commission decided to establish an:

• Ad Hoc Technical Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing for Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which, in 2013, was replaced by the Team of Technical and Legal Experts on Access and Benefit-Sharing (OCB-802)