Farmers

Highlights for Thursday, 20 June 2019 From L-R: Hans Hoogeveen, Working Group Co-Chair; Álvaro Toledo, ITPGRFA Secretariat; Tobias Kiene, ITPGRFA Secretariat; Kent Nnadozie, ITPGRFA Secretary; and Olivier Rukundo, ITPGRFA Secretariat On Thursday, the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the Multilateral System (MLS) of access and benefit-sharing (ABS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) met in morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. Delegates reached tentative consensus on amending Annex I of the Treaty (list of crops in the MLS), pending consultation with capitals; and on a package of measures that simultaneously adopts the revised Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) and the amendment of Annex I. Negotiations on the specific provisions of the draft revised SMTA continued into the night in the Friends of the Co-Chairs' group. With regard to the amendment of Annex I, the Working Group addressed a Co-Chairs’ proposal for compromise text, which: covers all plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) under the management and control of parties, in the public domain and in ex situ conditions; and allows parties to make declarations that they will not provide facilitated access to a limited number of species that are native to their territories. Following negotiations on the possibility for national exemptions, tentative agreement was reached to state that: a party may, exceptionally, declare a certain and limited number of species native to its territory that it will not include in the MLS; such a declaration shall not affect the rights and obligations of any other party related to the species, nor shall it affect the inclusion of species in the MLS by international institutions that concluded Article 15 agreements with the Governing Body; and a party may withdraw its declaration at any time but shall not make any additional declaration. The resolution will further: call on parties to exercise restraint in using exemptions and include an indicative list of reasons; providing for a review of exemptions by the Governing Body in 2025; and recommend that the criteria for disbursement under the Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF) will prioritize parties who have not excluded material under the amended Annex I, proportionate to the amount of exclusions. With regard to the package of measures that simultaneously adopts the revised SMTA and the amendment of Annex I, the Working Group negotiated and eventually agreed to a Co-Chairs' proposal, as amended, noting that, in case the amendment of Annex I does not enter into force by 2025: payments in case of commercialization of products made available without restriction would become voluntary again, until the entry into force of the amendment; the registration to the subscription system will be suspended until entry into force; subscribers may opt to revert to the single access system, and the amounts paid shall be credited, or may voluntarily continue their subscription for a total of ten years from its starting date; and 50% of the income paid into the BSF will support projects in parties that have ratified the amendment, with the remaining released after the amendment enters into force. Negotiations on the text of the draft revised SMTA continued into the night, addressing, among other issues, rights and obligations of the recipient of the MLS material. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from OWG-EFMLS-9, 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 Marliese von den Driesch and Imke Thormann, Europe Thomas Meier, Europe Manrique Lucio Altavista, Latin America and the Caribbean Delegates conferring during a break in negotiations Nestor Altoveros, Asia, with José Valls, Latin America and the Caribbean Sunil Archak, Asia, and Pierre du Plessis, Africa Members of the Latin America and the Caribbean negotiating group Nestor Altoveros, Asia Guy Kastler, Farmers Organization Members of the European negotiating group Edward Hammond, Civil Society, with Michael Halewood, CGIAR Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR Consortium) Cheikh Alassane Fall and Pierre du Plessis, Africa Akio Yamamoto, Asia Axel Diederichsen, North America Axel Diederichsen, North America, and Pierre du Plessis, Africa John Wasswa Mulumba, Africa, and Nestor Altoveros, Asia Delegates conferring during a break in negotiations From L-R: Emily Carroll, South West Pacific; Michael Halewood, CGIAR Consortium; and Anke Van Den Hurk, Seed Industry José Valls, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Catherine Karr-Colque, North America

Highlights for Wednesday, 19 June 2019 Delegates conferring during the lunch break On Wednesday, the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the Multilateral System (MLS) of access and benefit-sharing (ABS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) met in morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. Delegates continued negotiations on the draft revised Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA). They also discussed options for amending Annex I of the Treaty (list of crops in the MLS), and genetic sequence data associated with plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). The evening session focused on two main elements for a compromise: the package of measures that simultaneously adopts the revised SMTA and the amendment of Annex I of the Treaty; and the rates of benefit-sharing payments under the revised SMTA.Negotiations on amending Annex I of the Treaty addressed: the proposal by the government of Switzerland made to expand coverage to all PGRFA; additional text proposed by Africa with regard to the Swiss proposal, regarding measures to ensure that annual user-based payments to the Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF) equal 0.3% of total global seed sales and such income has accrued to the BSF for three years; a statement by Latin America and the Caribbean to limit the expanded coverage to ex situ PGRFA; proposals to allow for limited exemptions of species from inclusion in the MLS; and a proposal by India to draft a comprehensive list of species for the purpose of expanding the MLS. Negotiations on genetic sequence data or digital sequence information revealed well-known frictions regarding: whether such data or information falls within or outside the Treaty's scope; linkages with ongoing discussions in related fora; challenges for fair and equitable benefit-sharing; and privatization of such data or information. Negotiations on the draft revised SMTA addressed, among other issues: exemptions from benefit-sharing payments; benefit-sharing payments by developing country entities; intellectual property rights (IPRs) on MLS material or its genetic parts or components and impact on farmers' rights; transfers of PGRFA under development; provision of information that results from research and development on MLS material; and transfers of IPRs and benefit-sharing obligations. In the evening, the Working Group addressed a revised Co-Chairs' proposal for compromise text on a package of measures that simultaneously adopts the revised SMTA and the amendment of Annex I, including elements for a resolution related to the package of measures, and elements for the revised SMTA, with a suggestion for a transitional phase in case the amendment of Annex I of the Treaty does not come into force by 31 July 2025 providing for: voluntary payments under the single access system; closing the subscription system; and giving the option to the subscribers to either terminate their subscription and revert to the single access system or voluntarily continue their subscriptions for a total of ten years. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from OWG-EFMLS-9, 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: Teresa Agüero Teare; Federico Condón Priano; Manrique Lucio Altavista; and José Valls, Latin America and the Caribbean Guy Kastler, Farmers Organization Imke Thormann, Europe Akio Yamamoto, Asia Manrique Lucio Altavista and José Valls, Latin America and the Caribbean Muhamad Sabran, Asia, with Thomas Meier, Europe Edward Hammond, Civil Society Manrique Lucio Altavista, Latin America and the Caribbean Tobias Kiene and Olivier Rukundo, ITPGRFA Secretariat Isabel López Noriega, CGIAR Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers, and Anke Van Den Hurk, Seed Industry Hans Hoogeveen, Working Group Co-Chair Sunil Archak and Puji Lestari, Asia Ali Chehade, Near East Members of the European negotiating group Catherine Karr-Colque, North America Sunil Archak, Asia Pierre du Plessis, Africa Renata Negrelly Nogueira, Brazil

Highlights for Wednesday, 19 June 2019 Delegates discuss the progress being made as the third day of the Bonn Climate Change Conference begins. The Bonn Climate Change Conference continued Wednesday, with delegates engaged in marathon sessions for transparency arrangements under the Paris Agreement, and Article 6 (market and non-market approaches). Some delegates remarked on the positive spirit in the transparency-related discussions as the Co-Facilitators of Article 6 tried to inject energy to rally parties for an intensive period of discussions.Parties had a chance to review progress made on addressing climate change in the facilitative sharing of views. At this session, several developing countries presented their achievements to date in the form of biennial update reports, which catalogue information on their emissions, their needs for support to act on climate change, and the support they have received in those efforts.Delegates also looked to the next steps as eyes turned towards arrangements for subsequent meetings. During the logistics briefing for the conference, Chile, the incoming Presidency, gave delegates their first glimpse into the venue under construction in the Ciudad Parque Bicentenario. For the 2020 meeting that marks the beginning of the Paris Agreement, some were surprised to hear the Presidency had not been confirmed, particularly after the UK announced its plans to host the meeting.Other discussions looked outward from the UN process to discuss how to meaningfully engage a range of stakeholders important to advancing climate action. The morning’s Koronivia workshop on soil recognized that sustainable soil health may well require the transformative work of embracing and implementing existing farmer knowledge. Participants also considered the essential contributions of local communities and indigenous peoples. “Only we indigenous peoples have this knowledge,” one participant reminded the room; “do not make the mistake of jumping over it. You must bring us in.”For more details on the day's events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB). IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the Bonn Climate Change Conference - June 2019, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page 7th Dialogue on Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Participants on the dais (L-R): Abdoul Coulibaly, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Adriana Valenzuela, UNFCCC Secretariat; Dialogue Co-Facilitators Roberta Ianna, Italy, and Bob Natifu, Uganda; Niclas Svenningsen, UNFCCC Secretariat; Cristina Rekakavas, UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR); Emmanuel Tachie-Obeng, Ghana; and Felipe Diaz, Chile Co-Facilitator Roberta Ianna, Italy Felipe Diaz, Chile Emmanuel Tachie-Obeng, Ghana Cristina Rekakavas, UNITAR To reflect on and take stock of the implementation of the Doha Work Programme, workshop participants break into five working groups focused on education, training, public awareness, public participation, and public access to information. ACE family photo Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture In the second workshop for the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture, participants discuss improved soil carbon, soil health, and soil fertility under grassland and cropland, as well as integrated systems, including water management. Milagros Sandoval, Peru, Co-Facilitator of the Koronivia Workshop Sarah Lickel, Caritas France, speaking on behalf of the Environmental NGOs (ENGOs) Beverley Henry, Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GHGs). Mary Sakala, Zambia, speaking on behalf of Farmers Ronald Vargas, Secretary, Global Soil Partnership 7th Workshop of the Facilitative Sharing of Views UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa; SBI Chair Emmanuel Dlamini; and Katia Simeonova, SBI Coordinator Delegates from Armenia and Brazil present their biennial update report (BURs). Delegates from Saudi Arabia and Germany ask the presenters questions during the session. Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) View of the dais during the SBSTA thematic workshop on enhancing the participation of local communities, in addition to indigenous peoples, in the LCIPP. Francois Paulette, Dënesųłiné Elder, opens the workshop with a prayer. Andrea Carmen, Facilitative Working Group Member, LCIPP Grace Balawag, Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education) Gustavo Sánchez Valle, Mexican Rural Forestry Organizations Network (MOCAF) María Victoria Cabrera, International Labour Organization (ILO) Viseni Waiapi, Brazil Consultations throughout the Day SBSTA informal consultations on the common tabular format (CTF) for financial, technology development and transfer, and capacity-building support under Articles 9-11 of the Paris Agreement. Delegates sit on the floor as the room is filled to capacity during the SBSTA informal consultations on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on 1.5°C of Global Warming. SBI informal consultations on matters relating to capacity-building for developing countries. Around the Venue Khalid Abuleif, Saudi Arabia, and Majid Shafie-Pour, Iran Talieh Wögerbauer, Austria, speaks with Martin Frick, UNFCCC Secretariat Monika Antosik, Co-Facilitator, Nairobi Work Programme, speaks with SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu, Democratic Republic of the Congo Helmut Hojesky, Austria Chris Wright, Climate Tracker Materials on display around the venue.

Highlights for Tuesday, 18 June 2019 In an exhibition, a call is made for delegates to raise their ambition for climate action because 'our house is on fire.' The Bonn Climate Change Conference continued on Tuesday, with delegates negotiating discrete issues in smaller settings. On some technical issues, initial exchanges proved that positions continued to be far apart.Negotiators working on Article 6 (market and non-market approaches) under the Paris Agreement struggled to begin substantive work. After a morning of procedural discussions, the Chair of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) asked the heads of delegation to meet to identify a way forward. That meeting continued into the evening, as delegates tried to reconcile how to discuss Article 6 issues in the transparency discussions, particularly on how countries should report their use of internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs), without pre-judging the Article 6 negotiation outcome.Divisions remained in discussions on the Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on 1.5°C of Global Warming. Some called for the welcoming of the IPCC report and others called for more substantive discussions on its content. A few considered the matter closed. Discussions on this and many other issues will continue as delegations work toward finalizing the last rules needed to make the Paris Agreement fully ready for implementation in 2020.Beyond navigating through difficult technical issues, delegates also had to "mind the GAP." Over three days, participants gathered together to share their experiences and identify the various impacts the Lima Work Programme on Gender and its Gender Action Plan (GAP) have had in their countries. Today, they asked what’s missing and what’s needed to move forward work on gender in the climate change process. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the Bonn Climate Change Conference - June 2019, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture Delegates gather for two workshops during the day: methods and approaches for assessing adaptation, adaptation co-benefits, and resilience; and improved soil carbon, soil health, and soil fertility under grassland and cropland, as well as integrated systems, including water management. Janie Rioux, Green Climate Fund (GCF) Chizuru Aoki, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Theo de Jager, World Farmers’ Organization Cristina Dengel, Adaptation Fund Claire Chenu, AgroParisTech Co-Facilitators of the Koronivia Workshop Milagros Sandoval, Peru, and Heikki Granholm, Finland Consultations throughout the Day SBSTA contact group on matters relating to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. SBI informal consultations on matters relating to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). SBSTA informal consultations on common reporting tables for national inventory reports. UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa outlines the proposed 2020-2021 programme budget. SBI informal consultations on matters relating to the Adaptation Fund: membership of the Adaptation Fund Board. SBI/SBSTA informal consultations on the terms of reference for the 2019 review of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts (WIM). SBSTA Chair’s consultations with Heads of Delegations. Workshop on Gender and Climate Change Fleur Newman, UNFCCC, and Workshop Co-Facilitators Penda Kante-Thiam, Senegal, and Colin O'Hehir, Ireland, facilitate the workshop to discuss the impact of the Lima Work Programme on Gender and its GAP. With the objective of reviewing and making recommendations for the GAP, workshop participants break into groups to discuss five key themes: capacity building, gender balance, coherence between bodies, implementation, and monitoring and reporting. Around the Venue Delegates huddle in the corridors. Erwin Rose, US Stella Gama, Malawi Jim Skea, Working Group III Co-Chair, IPCC Winifred Masiko, Uganda, and Tayech Ourgicho Didemo, Ethiopia Erik Davies, incoming IISD RS Director, and Lynn Wagner, Interim IISD RS Director Marcela Main Sancha, Secretary to the COP, and Rodrigo Olsen Olivares, incoming COP Presidency, Chile A young climate delegate rushes off to a contact group. In an exhibition hosted by Climate Action Network (CAN), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Greenpeace, and the World Resources Institute (WRI), a call is made for delegates to make concrete plans and step up their ambitions for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in line with a 1.5°C target, ahead of the Climate Action Summit scheduled for later this year. Delegates speak informally between sessions. A delegate reads the live schedule to keep track of the day's events.

Highlights for Monday, 17 June 2019 Hans Hoogeveen, Working Group Co-Chair, with Kent Nnadozie, ITPGRFA Secretary On Monday, the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the Multilateral System (MLS) of access and benefit-sharing (ABS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) addressed organizational matters, heard reports, and exchanged views on a package of measures to attain the enhanced MLS, proposed by Co-Chairs Javad Mozafari (Iran) and Hans Hoogeveen (the Netherlands). In the afternoon, participants initiated negotiations on the draft revised Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA).In the morning, the Working Group discussed: a report on the outcomes of the eleventh meeting of the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on the Funding Strategy and Resource Mobilization, including targets of the Funding Strategy and the Benefit-sharing Fund; and a report on sales within the global seed sector, including companies' profile, and an analysis of sales and profitability by company and crop type. In the afternoon, the Working Group addressed a proposal by the Co-Chairs, containing a package of measures to simultaneously adopt the revised SMTA and the amendment of Annex 1 of the Treaty (list of crops in the MLS) through a resolution providing for: entry into force of the revised SMTA in January 2020; application of the subscription system to current Annex 1 until entry into force of its amendment following ratification by two-thirds of the parties; application of the subscription system to the amended Annex 1 after entry into force of the amendment; and an inbuilt review for the enhancement of the MLS, including a Governing Body decision on next steps if there are not enough ratifications by January 2025. A revised Co-Chairs' proposal will be presented on Tuesday.The Working Group then initiated negotiations on the Co-Chairs' proposed draft revised SMTA (IT/OWG-EFMLS-9/19/4 Add.1), starting from Annex 3 on terms and conditions of the subscription system. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from OWG-EFMLS-9, 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 opening session Alwin Kopse, Europe Jonathan Shoham, Agribusiness Intelligence Javad Mozafari, Working Group Co-Chair Manrique Lucio Altavista, Latin America and the Caribbean Kim van Seeters, Europe Pierre du Plessis, Africa José Valls, Latin America and the Caribbean From L-R: Tobias Kiene, Kent Nnadozie, and Álvaro Toledo, ITPGRFA Secretariat Guy Kastler, Farmers Organization Michael Halewood, CGIAR Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR Consortium) Mariem Omrani, Europe Delegates from Africa conferring during the lunch break Imke Thormann, Europe Flavia Scafetti, CGIAR Consortium