ABSTRACT
Phytogenetic and phytosanitary governance cover roughly the same issue area but have different objectives. Phytogenetic and phytosanitary negotiations have intensified considerably since the creation of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992. This chapter analyses ongoing multilateral negotiations on the development of regulations in the interlocking fields of the protection of agricultural biodiversity, biotechnology, North-South relations, and trade in food crops. In 1983 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) established an intergovernmental commission on plant genetic resources, now called the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The signing of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Rome on 3 November 2001 marks a new era in multilateral negotiations regarding food security and agriculture. The chapter provides a conceptual, organizational and diplomatic context of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and World Trade Organization (WTO).
