Side Event
The Global Crop Diversity Trust
Organizer
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI)
Date and Time
10 February 2004 13:15 - 14:45
<br>The Global Crop Diversity Trust aims to match the long term nature of conservation needs with long term secure and sustainable funding by creating an endowment that will provide a permanent source of funding for crop diversity collections around the world. The endowment will ensure the perpetual conservation of eligible collections meeting agreed standards of management. The Trust will also provide technical and capacity building assistance to eligible collections seeking to meet such standards. Finally, the Trust will promote and assist the development of a rational and efficient system of crop diversity conservation in genebanks around the world. <br><br> The establishment of the Trust has involved an historic and unprecedented partnership of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the 16 Future Harvest Centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The initiative to establish the Trust is being undertaken by an 11-member Interim Panel of Eminent Experts. <br><br> The side event will provide a briefing on progress in the establishment of the Trust to date. The Director General of IPGRI will make a presentation, to be followed by remarks from representatives of FAO and the Interim Panel.