Morocco has signed the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, as a first step in the ratification process.
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Eleven countries have now signed the Treaty since it was adopted by the FAO conference last November: Venezuela, Mexico, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Jordan, Mali and Namibia. Morocco is the first North-African signatory, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is “a legally binding international agreement,” aiming to ensure the conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, their sustainable use, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of these genetic resources, including benefits derived from commercial use. FAO says that the Treaty will enter into force when ratified by 40 countries.
The UN agency said that Morocco has for many years supported the negotiations on the Treaty in the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. “Morocco and the Magreb region in general have important genetic resources which contribute to food security throughout the world,” Ambassador Aziz Mekouar of Morocco said during the signing ceremony, adding that “Morocco hopes to see the new Treaty enter into force in the very near future.”
FAO Director-General Dr Jacques Diouf has appealed to all countries to ratify the Treaty quickly, “if possible before the World Food Summit – Five Years Later,” scheduled to be held in Rome 10-13 June, 2002.
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By GlobalDataBy Aaron Priel, just-food.com correspondent
