More than 400 people participated in the joint online workshop organized by ISF, CGIAR, and the Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) to share experiences and discuss challenges and opportunities on the use of the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) on 14 January.
The event was organized as a first joint action implementing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ISF and the CGIAR System. The MoU aims enhance policy discussions and advocacy efforts in severaly areas related to market access and seed sector development, including ensuring the parties’ mutual understanding of the ITPGRFA, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols, and their potential relevance on the abovementioned issues.
The workshop aimed to create a platform for understanding the viewpoints and experiences of providers and recipients of material, and to share their views on what aspects need more careful consideration in future discussions. The Secretariat of the International Plant Treaty provided key insights by sharing the background on the Treaty’s Multilateral System.
ISF Secretary General Michael Keller provided the opening address and closing remarks, while Ludovic Pâris, vice-chair of the ISF Coordination Group on Genetic Resources, shared a seed company perspective on using the MultilateralSystem and the SMTA. ISF Intellectual Property and Legal Affairs Manager Szonja Csörgő provided further insights into the use of the MLS by the seed sector in the framework of the final panel discussion of the event.
For more information on this activity, please reach out to Szonja Csörgő or Michael Keller.
