International agreements already in existence, and others under development, can affect the ways that CGIAR Centers use and share genetic resources and related information. It is important that the Centers both comply with their obligations under those agreements and make contributions to their further development and implementation in ways that support CGIAR’s mission.
CGIAR has the scientific expertise and social capital to help ensure that the evolving international policy framework supports making crop diversity available on equitable terms to all stakeholders, thus promoting food security and sustainable increases in production.
An important aspect of the Genetic Resources Policy team’s activity is to work closely with crop diversity users across the CGIAR research portfolio to address policy issues concerning data derived through the genomics revolution in ways that promote the CGIAR’s mission.
Coordination of Genetic Resources Policy work is provided by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. The module draws on CGIAR expertise to:
- Coordinate system-wide discussion of policy developments
- Engage strategically in international policy fora, and
- Strengthen capacity for full and transparent compliance.
Main activities include:
- Monitoring and ensuring compliance with international policies and laws
- Coordinating system-wide awareness raising and consideration of relevant genetic resources policy issues such as Digital Sequence Information
- Coordinating contributions from CGIAR to international policy development processes
- Strengthening the capacity of genebanks and other genetic resources users across CGIAR to comply with international policies and laws
- Strengthening the capacity of national partners to implement international policies and laws
- Convening the Multi-Stakeholder Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) Policy Group.
