The Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources (Global Plan of Action) is an internationally-agreed framework for the management of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture. It was developed under the auspices of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and adopted in September 2007 by the International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, held in Interlaken, Switzerland, along with the Interlaken Declaration on Animal Genetic Resources. The Global Plan of Action and the Interlaken Declaration were later endorsed by the Thirty-fourth Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which took place in November 2007.
Contents
Scope
The term “animal genetic resources” as used in the Global Plan of Action refers specifically to “animal genetic resources used in or potentially used for food and agriculture”. The Convention on Biological Diversity defines the term “genetic resources” as follows: “genetic material of actual or potential value”; “genetic material" is taken to mean “ any material of plant, animal, microbial or other origin containing functional units of heredity.” In the Global Plan of Action, the term “livestock” is taken to refer to “all domesticated animals used for food and agriculture” and thus to include “both avian and mammalian species that contribute to food and agriculture”. Species from other taxonomic groups are not specifically excluded from the scope of the Global Plan of Action. However, the development of the Global Plan of Action was linked to the preparation of The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resource for Food and Agriculture, a report that focused on birds and mammals.
Structure and contents
The Global Plan of Action consists of three parts: the rationale, which introduces the key features of animal genetic resources and the key aims and strategies of the Global Plan of Action; the strategic priorities for action; and implementation and financing. The 23 strategic priorities (SP) are grouped into four strategic priority areas: “Characterization, Inventory and Monitoring of Trends and Associated Risks”; “Sustainable use and Development”; “Conservation” and “Policies, Institutions and Capacity-building”.
Figure 1: Levels for the Implementation of the Strategic Priorities (AnGR = animal genetic resources for food and agriculture) . Source: Derived from FAO (2007e)
Implementation and monitoring
The Global Plan of Action states that the main responsibility for its implementation rests with national governments. It recognizes the important role of the FAO in supporting country-driven efforts, and states that “non-governmental organizations and the private sector should be encouraged to participate and support implementation …”. It calls for international cooperation to be strengthened, noting, for example, that “… major multilateral and bilateral funding and development institutions should be invited to examine ways and means of supporting the implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources” and that governments of developed countries should “attach due attention, including funding, to the implementation of activities within the Strategic Priority Areas of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources through bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation.” In 2009, the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture adopted the Funding Strategy for the Implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, which was subsequently revised in 2013. FAO encourages countries to develop their own national strategies and action plans for animal genetic resources as a means of translating the provisions of the Global Plan of Actions into well-targeted actions at national level. Implementation of the Global Plan of Action is monitored and assessed by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Countries reported on their implementation activities in 2012 and, as part of the reporting process for The Second Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, in 2013/2014. The latter report provides a basis for a review and potential update of the Global Plan of Action.