US embassy cable - 04ROME2427

UNCLAS  ROME 002427 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR E, EB, OES/ETC - NEUMANN, EB/TPP/BTT - MALAC, 
L/OES AND IO/EDA - KOTOK 
USDA FOR FAS - BRICHEY, LREICH AND RHUGHES 
AND ARS - BRETTING AND BLALOCK 
USAID FOR EGAT - SIMMONS, MOORE AND BERTRAM 
 
FROM U.S. MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES IN ROME 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, ETRD, EAID, SENV, KIPR, AORC, FAO, IPGRI 
SUBJECT:  GLOBAL CROP DIVERSITY TRUST: ESTABLISHMENT 
AGREEMENT IS OPEN FOR SIGNATURES 
 
REF:  ROME 2418 
 
1.  Provided below, for the record, is the text of a 
letter from FAO Director General Jacques Diouf, dated 
February 13, 2004, inviting member governments to sign 
the Agreement that establishes the Global Crop Diversity 
Trust.  Signature does not imply any financial 
commitments to the Trust.  Reftel provides further 
information and comments. 
 
2.  Begin Text: 
 
 "The Agreement for the Establishment of the Global Crop 
                    Diversity Trust" 
 
  An international fund to support the conservation of 
plant genetic resources for food and agriculture is being 
 established by the Food Agriculture Organization of the 
  United Nations (FAO), together with the International 
  Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), acting on 
behalf of the International Agricultural Research Centres 
 of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural 
                    Research (CGIAR) 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
      The  Director-General of the Food  and  Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations has the honour to 
transmit  the  Agreement  for the  Establishment  of  the 
Global Crop Diversity Trust and its Constitution. 
 
     FAO, together with the International Plant Genetic 
Resources Institute (IPGRI), acting on behalf of the 
International Agricultural Research Centres of the 
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research 
(CGIAR), is in the process of establishing an 
international fund to support the conservation of plant 
genetic resources for food and agriculture.  The fund, 
known as the Global Crop Diversity Trust, will support 
the upgrading of important collections, help build the 
capacity of countries to maintain them and will 
contribute to their long-term maintenance.  The Trust 
will give special attention to supporting national 
collections maintained by developing countries as well as 
those held in trust by international organizations for 
the world community. 
 
     The Global Crop Diversity Trust is being set up as 
part of the funding strategy foreseen in Article 18 of 
the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for 
Food and Agriculture.  It will focus its support on the 
conservation of those crops that are listed in Annex 1 or 
in Article 15 of the Treaty.  While the Trust will be 
independent, it will maintain strong links to the Treaty 
and will operate under the policy guidance of the 
Governing Body of the Treaty.  Furthermore, the Executive 
Board of the Global Crop Diversity Trust will include 
among its membership four members appointed by the 
Governing Body of the Treaty as well as one each by the 
Director-General of FAO and the Chair of the Consultative 
Group on International Agricultural Research. 
 
     The Director-General invites your Government to sign 
the attached Agreement establishing the Global Crop 
Diversity Trust as an independent entity under 
international law.  The Constitution of the Trust is 
annexed to the Establishment Agreement and is an integral 
part of it.  By signing this agreement, your Government 
will be signalling that it recognizes the Trust as an 
international entity.  Signature does not carry with it 
any financial or other obligation to support the Trust. 
 
     The Trust will become a legal entity upon the 
signature of the seventh Member, as long as at least four 
are developing countries and providing they are from at 
least five of the regions recognized by the Food and 
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 
 
     The Director-General of the FAO is the depositary of 
this Agreement.  It will be open for signature at FAO 
Headquarters in Rome until 31 March 2006.  Countries that 
wish to accede to the Trust after this date will be able 
to deposit their instruments of accession with FAO. 
 
     Through signing this Agreement, your country will 
 
 
become party to establishing a very important 
international funding mechanism that aims to provide 
stable and sustainable financial support for the world's 
most important germplasm collections.  Ensuring these 
important materials are not lost is a vital contribution 
to future food security and the development of 
sustainable agriculture. 
 
     The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations looks forward to 
receiving soon your signature on the attached document so 
that the Global Crop Diversity Trust will become a 
legally constituted international entity at the earliest 
possible date. 
 
End text. 
 
Hall 
 
 
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 2004ROME02427 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED