The impact of climate change on countries' interdependence on genetic resources for food and agriculture: preliminary version

The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Ag riculture (the Commission), at its Tenth Regular Session, recommended that the Food and Agri culture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Commission contribute to further work on access and benefit-sharing, in order to ensure that it moves in a direction supportive of t he special needs of the agricultural sector, in reg ard to all components of biological diversity of intere st to food and agriculture. At its Eleventh Regular Session, the Commission agr eed on the importance of considering access and benefit-sharing in relation to all components of bi odiversity for food and agriculture, and decided th at work in this field should be an early task within i ts Multi-Year Programme of Work (MYPOW). Accordingly, the Commission decided to consider arr angements and policies for access and benefit- sharing for genetic resources for food and agricult ure at its Twelfth Regular Session (19-23 October 2009). To facilitate discussions and debate on acce ss and benefit-sharing for genetic resources for fo od and agriculture at the Twelfth Regular Session, the Secretariat of the Commission has commissioned several background study papers on use and exchange patterns of genetic resources in the different sectors of food and agriculture. The studies provid e an overview of past, current and possible future use and exchange patterns, as well as a description of terms and modalities for use and exchange of animal, aquatic, forest, micro-organism genetic res ources; and of biological control agents. Cross- sectoral studies have been commissioned to analyse use and exchange patterns in light of climate change, subject of the present background study pap er, and to review the extent to which policies and arrangements for access and benefit-sharing take in to consideration the use and exchange of genetic resources for food and agriculture in particular. The broad ranges of studies are intended to provide insight, necessary to maintain, establish and advance policies and arrangements for access and be nefit-sharing for biodiversity for food and agriculture. The studies may also contribute to the negotiations of an International Regime on Access and Benefit-sharing in the Ad Hoc Open-ended Workin g Group on Access and Benefit-sharing under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

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