Farmers

L-R: Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, with Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission (AUC)   The sixth session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD 2020) opened on Monday, 24 February at the Elephant Hills Resort, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Pre-event workshops, stakeholder consultations and special sessions took place throughout the day exploring the Forum theme, “2020-2030: A Decade to Deliver a Transformed and Prosperous Africa through the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.” Highlights included: the 2020 Africa Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum; an exchange on country experiences with Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) of the global and regional agendas; and ARFSD 2020 preparatory meetings and capacity development workshops for major groups and other stakeholders. Sharing their experiences with the VNRs, country representatives and technical experts highlighted, among other issues: the need for addressing weak capacity in accessing and using quality and relevant data; better aligning national development efforts with lessons learned from regional workshops; strengthening local action, and transforming it into budget and policy frameworks; and stronger alignment with local, regional and national levels, including through collaboration with city authorities. The second African Regional STI Forum convened under the theme, “2020-2030: A decade to deliver a transformed and prosperous Africa through the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.” Following a series of high-level dialogues in the morning, parallel discussions took place in the afternoon exploring the five SDG sub-themes of: people, prosperity, planet, peace, and partnerships. A number of special sessions also took place, in the presence of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. They included: A UN Development System (UNDS) mini-retreat that provided African perspectives on the ongoing UN reform process; The second session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) for Africa, which brought together principals from UN and African Union to explore strategies for enhanced collaboration in the framework of the African Union’s 2020 theme of “Silencing the Guns”; Engagement with youth on the theme, “UN@75 - The Future is Now: African Youth Engagement for the Decade of Action”; and An African Union-UN dialogue on “Leveraging the Decade for Action to Realize the SDGs and Agenda 2063.” Diverse side events, exhibitions and networking events took place throughout the day and in the evening to showcase innovative solutions and partnerships to accelerate SDG action in Africa. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from ARFSD 2020. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report from the session in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page L-R: Ahunna Eziakonwa, Assistant Secretary-General and Director Bureau for Americas, UN Development Programme (UNDP); Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN; and Vera Songwe, Under Secretary-General, and Executive Secretary, Economic Commision for Africa (ECA) Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission (AUC) Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Under Secretary-General, and Special Representative to the African Union (AU) Vera Songwe, Under Secretary-General, and Executive Secretary, ECA Delegates attending the Regional Coordinating Mechanism for Africa pose for a family photo at ARFSD 2020 L-R: Tonya Vaturi, UN Division of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA); Amira El Fadil, Commisioner for Social Affairs, AUC; Oliver Chiganya, ECA; Alessandra Casazza, UNDP; and Juliet Wasswa Mugambwa, OSAA Amira El Fadil, Commisioner for Social Affairs, AUC Delegates following the workshop on VNRs Tapiwa Roy Rupende, Zimbabwe Lee Chileshe, Zambia Sawsan Hassan El Showaya, Sudan Sheila Saldana, Seychelles Amon Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Zimbabwe Imraan Patel, Deputy Director-General, Social Economic Partnerships, Department of Science and Innovation, South Africa Mahama Ouedraogo, AUC Henry Ngale Foretia, Poultry Farmers Management Sytems Platform, Cameroon Karima Bounemra Ben Soltane, ECA Family photo of STI participants at ARFSD 2020  

From L-R: Sunil Archak, Kuldeep Singh, and Rakesh Chandra Agrawal, India Delegates to the eighth session of the Governing Body (GB 8) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA or Treaty) met in a morning and evening plenary to hear a report from the closed group on enhancing the Multilateral System (MLS), address administrative matters, and review draft resolutions. The contact group on conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) met in the afternoon. The closed group on the MLS and the budget committee met throughout the day and into the night.In the morning, Kathryn Youel Page (US) and Renata Negrelly Nogueira (Brazil), Co-Chairs of the closed group on enhancing the MLS, announced they would circulate a Co-Chairs’ draft of the revised Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) text by 2:00 pm, for consideration by the group in the afternoon. The proposal included a reference to digital sequence information with regard to benefit-sharing obligations, reading that the user of MLS material “may have used” passport data and other non-confidential descriptive information, including genetic sequence data. Plenary endorsed renewal of the term of Secretary Kent Nnadozie for two years and approved draft resolutions on farmers’ rights and the contribution of FAO to the implementation of the Treaty, without discussion. Delegates also addressed draft resolutions on, among other issues: policy guidance to the Global Crop Diversity Trust; cooperation with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including advice to the Global Environment Facility (GEF); cooperation with other international bodies and organizations, including the the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV); the Global Information System; conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA; compliance; and the Treaty’s 15th anniversary. Deliberations continued into the night on procedures for the appointment and renewal of the Secretary.For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, is providing daily web coverage and daily reports from the 8th Session of the Governing Body. In addition, IISD Reporting Services published a summary and analysis report from the meeting, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page From L-R: Annick Van Houtte, Senior Legal Officer, FAO; Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General, FAO; GB 8 Chair Christine Dawson, US; and Francisco López, ITPGRFA Secretariat Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General, FAO Manrique Lucio Altavista, Argentina Desterio Ondieki Nyamongo, Kenya GB 8 Chair Christine Dawson, US From L-R: Margarita Gavira, Paola Franceschelli, and Francisco López, ITPGRFA Secretariat Marliese von den Driesch and Imke Thormann, Germany Marcos Javier Martínez Techera, Uruguay Kathryn Youel Page, US Antonio Onorati, Farmers' Organization Imke Thormann, Germany, and Adriana Alercia, ITPGRFA Secretariat Bienvenu Ntsouanva, Congo Alwin Kopse, Switzerland Médi Moungui, Cameroon Katlyn Scholl, US Mónica Martínez Menduiño, Ecuador Renata Negrelly Nogueira, Brazil Feleke Woldeyes, Ethiopia Michael Halewood, CGIAR Consortium Yukio Yokoi, Japan Mariem Omrani, France Inge Tenniglo, the Netherlands The Indian delegation conferring with Tanmay Sunanda Joshi, International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC) Jean Lanotte, France, and Axel Diederichsen, Canada Delegeates from the European region exchanging views before the start of the evening plenary session Halala Kokulo, Liberia Regine Andersen, Norway Farmers' Organizations family photo  

Delegates from the African region conferring during a break in negotiations Delegates to the eighth session of the Governing Body (GB 8) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA or Treaty) met in plenary throughout the day to: hear a report on the contribution of FAO to Treaty implementation; continue discussions on the Multi-Year Programme of Work (MYPOW), including digital sequence information (DSI) or genetic sequence data; and discuss cooperation with other instruments and organizations, including the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA), the Global Crop Diversity Trust, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing (ABS), among others. FAO Assistant Director-General René Castro-Salazar highlighted the Treaty as one of FAO’s flagship achievements; and many regions expressed appreciation for FAO’s ongoing, steady support to member states. CGRFA Secretary Irene Hoffmann presented the CGRFA report, highlighting the Voluntary Guidelines for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Farmers’ Varieties/Landraces. Delegates also addressed the report of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, highlighting Trust initiatives and discussing their prioritization. The CBD emphasized synergies and cooperation activities, and stressed the importance of all biodiversity-related conventions to engage in the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.Uncertainty prevailed on the way forward to address divergence of views on enhancing the Treaty’s Multilateral System of ABS. In the morning, Brazil, for G-77/China, called for urgently addressing the item in a contact group or other setting with interpretation. Later in the day however, GB 8 Chair Christine Dawson (US) reported that there is no consensus in the Bureau to establish a contact group on the item, and invited delegates to continue consulting informally. By the end of the afternoon plenary, she proposed convening a closed group, composed of two parties per region. A discussion ensued with focus on participation in the group, with many developing countries pointing to the importance of the item and to the need for transparency. It was eventually decided to convene the group in the evening, with two party representatives and two party observers per region.The budget committee, an informal group on the Global Information System, and a contact group on farmers’ rights also met throughout the day.For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, is providing daily web coverage and daily reports from the 8th Session of the Governing Body. In addition, IISD Reporting Services published a summary and analysis report from the meeting, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page View of the dais during the plenary session René Castro-Salazar, Assistant Director-General, FAO Maeen Ali Ahmed, Yemen Delegates from Canada during a break in negotiations Sunil Archak, India, with Claver Ngaboyisonga, Rwanda Irene Hoffmann, Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) Secretary Gregory Bailey, Antigua and Barbuda, with Leslie Brereton, Barbados Axel Diederichsen, Canada, with Neha Lugo, US Manrique Lucio Altavista, Argentina, conferring with Federico Condon, Uruguay Jean Lanotte, France, and Alwin Kopse, Switzerland Yukio Yokoi, Japan Louis Fresta, Malta Delegates from the African region Katlyn Scholl, US Pierre du Plessis, African Union Álvaro Toledo, ITPGRFA Secretariat, and Catherine Karr-Colque, US Worku Damena Yifru, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat Peter Button, Vice Secretary-General, International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Delegates from the African region Ana Bedmar Villanueva, Spain, with Teresa Agüero Teare, Chile Laila Sasi Younes, Libya, and Nadia Hadjeres, Algeria Christina Blank, Switzerland Petra Engel, Italy Akio Yamamoto, Japan Delegates from Europe