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CGIAR PRESS RELEASE

CGIAR Secretariat. Mailing Address:
1818 H Street, N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20433, U.S.A. Office
Location: 701 18th Street, N.W.
Telephone: (1-202) 473-8951
Cable Address: INTBAFRAD
FAX: (1-202) 473-8110
E-mail: CGIAR@cgnet.com or CGIAR@worldbank.org

For immediate release
Contact:
Shirley Geer, CGIAR Secretariat, Washington,DC
(1-202) 473-8930
Ruth Raymond, IPGRI, Rome, Italy
(39-6) 51892215

CGIAR Urges Halt to Granting of Intellectual Property Rights for Designated Plant Germplasm.

           The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has called for a moratorium on the granting of intellectual property rights on designated plant germplasm held in the collections of CGIAR agricultural research centers around the world.

           Designated germplasm refers to plant accessions which the CGIAR Centers have placed under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). These accessions are held "in trust for the benefit of the international community, in particular the developing countries." As such, they are subject to terms and conditions contained in agreements signed between the Centers and FAO in 1994. Designated germplasm includes farmers' varieties and landraces, obsolete varieties, modern varieties, advanced lines, genetic stocks and wild species.

           The CGIAR holds the world's largest international ex situ collection of plant genetic resources -- more than 500 000 accessions that are vital for crop improvement world-wide. In announcing the call for the moratorium, CGIAR Chairman Dr. Ismail Serageldin reiterated the CGIAR's "strong and unequivocal support" for the 1994 agreements, which seek to guarantee that access to these resources will not be restricted.

           "The CGIAR is deeply committed to the conservation, sustainable use, and stewardship of genetic resources," Dr. Serageldin said. "Calling for this moratorium is the strongest signal the CGIAR can send governments to ensure that these issues be resolved and the materials in the CGIAR collections remain in the public domain."

           Recently, research by the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) has revealed that a small number of organizations have sought intellectual property rights on materials obtained directly from the CGIAR Centers. The agreements with FAO specify that neither Centers nor subsequent recipients of designated germplasm will seek any intellectual property rights over that germplasm or related information.

           "The moratorium will provide governments with the time to carefully consider and resolve issues related to the in-trust collections that have been brought into sharp focus in recent weeks," said Dr. Geoffrey Hawtin, Director General of the Rome-based International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, one of the CGIAR Centers. "It will also allow for a considered approach to some of the issues that will arise as the details of a multilateral system for genetic resources exchange are discussed in international fora." The status of plant genetic resources of agricultural species is currently being negotiated by the intergovernmental FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

           CGIAR Centers routinely distribute germplasm to plant breeders through Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs), which enjoin the recipient from applying for intellectual property rights on the materials. However, recipients who obtained materials prior to 1994, when the MTAs came into use, are not legally bound by these restrictions.

           Dr. Serageldin called upon all recipients of designated material to honor the spirit of the agreements with FAO and to refrain from applying for intellectual property rights, regardless of the date the material was received. "We are grateful to RAFI for bringing to our attention reports that some organizations are claiming rights to designated germplasm from CGIAR Centers," he said.

           Efforts are also underway within the CGIAR system to analyze the issues, in particular with a view to ensuring appropriate and consistent MTAs and other instruments designed to ensure full compliance with the terms of the FAO/CGIAR Agreements.

           The CGIAR is an informal association of 57 public and private sector members that exists to mobilize the best in agricultural science on behalf of the world's poor and hungry. The CGIAR's cutting-edge research has made a major contribution to global food security, helped farmers meet the increasingly complex challenges of keeping the environment healthy and their farming sustainable, and leverage research investments to achieve results many times the size of its investments.

           The FAO, UN Development Program, UN Environment Program, and World Bank sponsor the CGIAR. CGIAR members include developed and developing countries, private foundations, and international and regional organizations. All 22 members of the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Development Assistance Committee belong to the CGIAR. Developing world participation has doubled in recent years.

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11, February, 1998