The UAE Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) held a workshop on the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and UAE’s preparations for Accession to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants from December 15 to 17, 2015. The sessions were organized in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), and UPOV.
The purpose of the workshop is to educate the MOEW employees, other concerned ministries and local departments, farms of agricultural production, companies involved in agricultural inputs of the impacts and benefits of these two international treaties on farmers and breeders of agricultural crops.
The agenda for the first day included the ‘Introduction to Conservation and Sustainable Use of Agrobiodiversity and Genetic Resources’ , ‘Conventions and Treaties Related to Conservation and Sustainable Use and Access to Genetic Resources, and an overview of the international treaty on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture..’ The session also discussed the ‘Framework Action Plan for the Implementation of the Benefit-Sharing Fund in the Near East and North Africa Region,’ ‘Regional Plant Genetic Resources, options, Potentials and Challenges Related to Climate Change and Role of ITPGRFA,’ and ‘State of PGFRA Conservation and Use in the Near East and north Africa Region and the Requirements for Establishing an Efficient Programme on PGRFA Conservation.’
On the second day, the workshop began with the ‘Introduction to the UPOV’ and reviewed the ‘Key Provisions of the UPOV Convention: Conditions and Scope of Protection and Expectation,’ and ‘Relationship Between the UPOV Convention and other International Treaties.’ It also discussed ‘Benefits of Plant Variety Protection for Farmers and Growers’ and ‘The Nagoya Protocol and How it will Affect the ITPGRFA.’
The concluding day’s agenda consist of ‘Steps Needed at National Level for Incorporation of International Treaty in National Legislation Including Development of National Strategies,’ ‘the Role of Plant Variety Protection (PVP) in Encouraging Breeding Including Public-Private Partnerships,’ ‘Potential Benefits and Impacts of UPOV on Technology Transfer in the UAE,’ and ‘Guidance on Developing Legislation in Accordance with the UPOV Convention and Procedure to Become a UPOV Member.’ It also discussed ‘Potential Benefits and Impacts of the UPOV on Farming Systems in the UAE’ and ‘Steps Needed at National Level for the Development and Implementation of UPOV-based PVP Law.’