I.M. El Tahir, L. Maggioni

As part of the activities of the ECPGR Inter-regional Cooperation Network, a joint workshop between ECPGR and the Near East and North Africa Plant Genetic Resources Network (NENA PGRN) was organized on 28-29 September 2011 in Menemen, Turkey, with the local support of the Aegean Agricultural Research Institute. This workshop was dedicated to exchange views, information and experiences related to the implementation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Treaty)

The NENA PGRN Network was represented by the Coordinator and members from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Sudan and Yemen. ECPGR was represented by the Secretariat and members from Germany, Sweden and Turkey. Finally, international organizations (Bioversity International, ICARDA and GFAR) were involved and also the Secretary of the Treaty, Mr. Shakeel Bhatti, honored the meeting with his attendance. 

The workshop unfolded with presentations from both networks regarding the national and regional approaches to ex situ conservation, documentation and information, implementation of the Multilateral System (MLS) of the Treaty and its related policies and legislation.  
As the Treaty Secretary pointed out, the workshop in itself was an example of implementation of Article 8 of the Treaty on technical assistance to Contracting Parties.

The concept for A European Genebank Integration System (AEGIS) was received as an interesting approach, even though NENA probably still needs to reflect on the most suitable approach for collaboration in the conservation of ex situ PGR in its region. Among the examples provided by ECPGR that also seemed to be appealing for consideration by NENA PGRN, the online EURISCO catalogue of ex situ plant genetic resources resulted as an outstanding case, based as it is on National Inventory Focal points gathering data at national level and transferring them to a central online catalogue through a standard exchange format. A strong recommendation was directed from the meeting to NENA PGRN, indicating the need to reach self-sustainability through the acquisition of firm national commitment as a pre-requisite for regional collaboration. Shared examples showing various approaches to policy and legislation conveyed the impression that strong and comprehensive coordination at national level generally gives the most effective results and that there are cases where introducing new legislation may not be necessary.  On the other hand, skilled staff is often a bottle neck in a number of countries and capacity building remains a high priority. Capacity building for the implementation of the Treaty at both regional and national levels was indicated by NENA PGRN as an immediate need for effective implementation of the Treaty and its MLS in NENA.

This workshop paved the way to further exchanges of information between the two Networks and to possible opportunities for advice or training in the near future. It was also a successful example of interaction among two regions at the network level, which is probably one of the most effective ways to promote the principles of the Treaty and its implementation on a regional scale. NENA PGRN has specifically expressed interest in future collaboration with ECPGR on different aspects of PGR conservation and management.

Opportunities for similar Joint workshops between ECPGR and other regional networks are under discussion with the Treaty Secretariat.

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