Report of the Eleventh Meeting of the CGIAR Genetic Resources Policy Committee

Report of the eleventh meeting of the CGIAR Genetic Resources Policy Committee (GRPC), ISNAR, The Hague, September 6-8, 2000, M. S. Swaminathan presiding. Informed of the negotiating status of the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources, the GRPC reaffirmed that all main CGIAR crops should be included. It considered the governance, organization, and structure of the CGIAR, particularly the implications of the proposed federation of centers.The GRPC discussed a feasibility study launched by IPGRI of an endowment fund to finance long term germplasm conservation. It believed such funding should be viewed as enabling the CGIAR to meet its commitments, in the context of preserving global resources. A rigorous scientific basis was required to identify what should be financed. The Committee commended CIAT for taking legal action against a US patent of the yellow Enola bean which appeared to compromise preexisting materials. The GRPC proposed a revision of the draft guiding principles on intellectual property rights prepared for the CDC and circulated for comment (Annex 3). The statement would need review after the Undertaking was revised. To promote coordination, the GRPC proposed that the head of the Central Advisory Service (CAS) located at ISNAR become a member of GRPC, and that IPGRI have an ex officio seat on CAS.Additional items: updates on GFAR's Genetic Resources Initiative, the fifth Conference of Parties and developments on the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the proposal by the World Humanity Action Trust (WHAT) for a consultation on biodiversity. The Committee responded to a draft report by Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) on problems for public agricultural research and human rights attributed to legislation on intellectual property.Agenda document, CGIAR International Centers Week 2000