The Treaty's multilateral system of access and benefit-sharing

The International Treaty provides a legal framework for international cooperation in the conservation, sustainable use and sharing of benefits associated with all Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The Treaty has created an innovative multilateral system of access and benefit-sharing (MLS) and adopted the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) for the 64 crops and forages listed in Annex 1 of the Treaty (see Treaty website). A new online learning module focuses on understanding the impact and working of the MLS and the use of the SMTA to enhance transfer of genetic resources.

For more about the logic and structure of the multilateral system, you can read the following publications authored by Bioversity staff members.

•  Policy Brief. The importance of recognizing the International Treaty in the CBD’s Protocol on access and benefit-sharing. (SGRP 2010). (656 KB)
•  Report of cross-cutting workshop on national programmes and CGIAR Centres’ cooperation to implement the multilateral system of access and benefit sharing of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, 15–16 February 2010 (SGRP 2010). (650 KB)
•  Incentivos y Desincentivos para la Participación del Perú en el Sistema Multilateral del Tratado Internacional sobre Recursos Fitogenéticos para la Alimentación y la Agricultura. (Lapeña, I., I. Lopez, M. Sigueñas and M. Ramirez. 2010). (4.4 MB)
• Giving Priority to the Commons: the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. (Halewood, M. and Nnadozie, K. 2008).
• Recursos Naturales y Ambiente, Vol. 53. 2008. El sistema multilateral de acceso y distribución de beneficios del Tratado Internacional sobre los Recursos Fitogenéticos para la Alimentación y la Agricultura. Su importancia para Latinoamérica. CATIE. (López Noriega, I., Halewood, M and O’Keeffe, E (eds) 2008).
•  Explanatory Guide to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. (Moore, G. and Tymowski, W. 2005). (2.0 MB)

 See also:

• A brief history of the Treaty
• The Treaty and the CGIAR Centres