ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the Secretariat’s work in supporting the implementation of the multilateral system of access and benefit sharing (multilateral system), five years after the entry into force of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and three years after the first meeting of the Governing Body. 1 The main focus of the Secretariat’s work requested by the Governing Body has been ‘to make the Multilateral System functional’ (FAO, 2006, para. 54). It is indeed important to note that the multilateral system and the implementation of the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) 2 are not self-executing in the sense that:
the multilateral system is an operational system functioning at the global level, and the Secretariat has to manage the system and its operation to make it really functional for its users;
the multilateral system is a dynamic framework, which comprises a number of elements, some of which are still being set in place. 3 In carrying out the decisions of the Governing Body and its subsidiary bodies, the Secretariat has consequently had to engage with the system to make sure that guidance is given by the Governing Body in order to ensure a coherent implementation process; and
the multilateral system is a global and innovative framework, which regulates a wide range and category of users all around the world. As such, it requires a learning process and the strengthening of capacities of those who are implanting it and using its mechanisms. The Secretariat has had to provide minimum support to users in order to overcome various initial uncertainties and hesitancies.
Translating the text of the Treaty and the guidance given by the Governing Body into the day-to-day management of the Treaty’s systems and interaction with stakeholder communities has consequently been the main challenge faced by the Secretariat during this start-up phase.