The report on the Sixteenth Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is now available. To download it click here.

Decisions made specifically on animal genetic resources are provided in paragraphs 43 to 50.
The Commission stressed again the importance of the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System DAD-IS as the international clearing-house mechanism for animal genetic resources and welcomed the development of its updated version. It further stressed the need for countries to regularly update their national data in DAD-IS or EFABIS-net, including information on animal genetic resources both in situ and ex situ, and to provide information on breed classifications.

The Report of 9th Regular Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources has been published in all UN languages. Decisions will be taken during the Sixteenth Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The Sixteenth Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture will take place in Rome, 30 January - 3 February 2017. To see the invitation letter, please click here.

The Ninth Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture will be held at FAO Headquarters in Rome from 6-8 July 2016.

The Session is being convened under the Regular Programme of the Organization. Simultaneous translations in Arabic, English, French and Spanish will be available.
The Working Group was established by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture at its Seventh Session in May 1997, in line with Conference Resolution 3/95. The Fifteenth Regular Session of the Commission in January 2015 decided that the Working Group should meet prior to the next Regular Session of the Commission to review:

• progress made and action taken to implement the Global Plan of Action, including the Funding Strategy;
• and possible update of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources; and
• the nature of ecosystem services provided by livestock species and breeds.

The Commission also requested the Working Group to explore:

• access and benefit-sharing issues for its subsector;
• the Commission’s Multi-Year Programme Programme of Work.

The members of the Working Group and their Alternates, as elected by the Fifteenth Session of the Commission, are as follows:

• Africa: Algeria, Chad, Kenya, Mali, Namibia, First Alternate: Burkina Faso, Second Alternate: Zimbabwe
• Asia: Bhutan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, Republic of Korea,First Alternate: Thailand, Second Alternate: China
• Europe: France, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland, First Alternate: Sweden, Second Alternate: Russian Federation
• Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Jamaica, Uruguay, First Alternate: Cuba Second Alternate: Costa Rica
• Near East: Islamic Republic of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, First Alternate: Egypt, Second Alternate: Jordan
• North America: Canada, United States of America
• Southwest Pacific: Cook Islands, Fiji, First Alternate: Vanuatu, Second Alternate: Samoa

According to the Statutes of the Working Group, Alternates replace, in the order in which they appear on the above list, any Member who has resigned and informed the Secretariat accordingly. Members of the Commission that are not members of the Working Group may participate, upon request to the Commission Secretariat, in the work of the Working Group as observers. The Working Group, or the Bureau on behalf of the Working Group, may invite experts, as well as representatives of specialized international organizations, to attend its meetings as observers.

A website has been set-up for this session. Documents will be uploaded when they become available. Please check regularly by clicking here.

About 200 participants from more than 10 Latin American countries, as well as from Spain, Portugal and the United States of America attended the symposium. In about 150 oral and poster presentations the following topics were discussed: genetics of local breeds, conservation of biodiversity, reproduction and local gene banks, biotechnology for conservation, traditional products of local breeds, sustainable livestock systems, health of locally adapted breeds, food security, economics and management of local breeds as well as traditional gastronomy.
The journal AICA (Actas Iberoamericanas de Conservación Animal) is published in close linkage to the yearly symposia. Volume 6, published for this symposium, contains more than 70 articles and exceeds 600 pages.
For the first time the symposium was preceded by the Foro Ganadero, with the idea to link science closer to producers. Participants were members from farmers and breeders organisations as well as students from the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia-Villavicencio, where the meeting took place.
The next symposium will be hosted by Argentina in October 2016.

A three day international Symposium on Animal Identification and Recording systems for Traceability and Livestock Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, took place in Pretoria, South Africa from 14-16 April 2015. The symposium - first of its kind in Africa - was very timely and offered a unique opportunity for all partners and stakeholders to share and openly discuss experiences on past and ongoing animal identification and recording programmes. It was officially opened by the Minister for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for South Africa Mr. Senzeni Zokwana, who highlighted the critical role of animal identification and recording in achieving food security and safety in the Sub-Saharan African region. The Symposium was jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) , the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Stud Book and Animal Improvement Association and the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa, the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), and their public and private sector partners from Africa and beyond. Delegates from 30 countries participated in the event. The Pretoria Declaration produced at the Symposium is available here.

The report of 15th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) has been published. Other language versions will be made available at the Commission's website.

Particularly relevant for animal genetic resources is the Animal Genetic Resources section (see pp 7-8) including the following topics: Report of the Eighth Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, The Second Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Implementation and updating of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources.

The Commission endorsed the Guidelines for the Development of Integrated Multipurpose Animal Recording Systems.

The Commission welcomed the draft Second Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as a comprehensive, timely and high-quality document.

The Commission stressed the need for countries to regularly update their official national breed data in FAO’s Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS), or any other information system that automatically shares data with DAD-IS, and to provide information on breed classifications.

The Commission stressed the importance of DAD-IS as the international clearing house mechanism for information on animal genetic resources.
2015-03-06

The Eighth Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was held at FAO Headquarters in Rome from 26-28 November 2014.

The Working Group:

welcomed the Draft Second Report on the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture;

recommended that the Commission review the draft Second Report in light of the Working Group’s comments;

stressed the need for countries to regularly update their official national breed data in DAD-IS; and

provided a number of clear recommendations for consideration by the Commission for January 2015 session (15th);
A website has been set-up for this session. The website lists: documents, the report, and photographs .

2015-03-05

The Eighth Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture will be held at FAO Headquarters in Rome from 26-28 November 2014.

The Session is being convened under the Regular Programme of the Organization. Simultaneous translations in Arabic, English, French and Spanish will be available.
The Working Group was established by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture at its Seventh Session in May 1997, in line with Conference Resolution 3/95. The Fourteenth Regular Session of the Commission in April 2013 decided that the Working Group should meet prior to the next Regular Session of the Commission to review:

• progress made and action taken to implement the Global Plan of Action, including the Funding Strategy;
• the second report on The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture;
• draft guidelines on animal identification, traceability and performance recording; and
• the nature of ecosystem services provided by livestock species and breeds.

The members of the Working Group, as elected by the Fourteenth Session of the Commission, are as follows:

• Africa: Cameroon, Eritrea, Morocco, Namibia, Togo
• Asia: Bhutan, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Thailand
• Europe: France, Germany, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland
• Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Suriname
• Near East: Iraq, Qatar, Sudan
• North America: Canada, United States of America
• Southwest Pacific: Cook Islands, Fiji

Members of the Commission which are not members of the Working Group may participate, upon request to the Commission Secretariat, in the work of the Working Group in an observer capacity. The Working Group, or the Bureau on behalf of the Working Group, may invite experts, as well as representatives of specialized international organizations, to attend its meetings as observers.

A website has been set-up for this session. Documents are already listed and further documents will be uploaded when they become available. Please check regularly. For the working and information documents, click here.

The Commission requested FAO to further develop DAD-IS so as to facilitate the entry of data, including data related to the new locally adapted versus exotic breed classification set out in the document "Report of a consultation on the definition of breed categories" and so as to give countries the option of indicating that a given locally adapted breed is native to the respective country.

A new drop-down list that allows the National Coordinator to choose the appropriate option for the respective breed has been added to the “Origin and Development” tab. In addition, there is the option of marking “locally adapted” breeds as “native” to a country.

National Coordinators might also use a separate tool that has been prepared in order to facilitate timely updating . The tool can be found after login into the system under Enter data -> Update breeds adaptedness. It allows to update the breed classification of all of your country’s breeds at once.

Thanks to the cooperative efforts of FAO, The African Union – Inter African Bureau of Animal resources (AU-IBAR), the Centre for Agricultural research and Development in Southern Africa (CCARDESA), national governments and non-governmental organizations, Southern Africa will soon have a new sub-regional institution to help improve management of Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR).

For further information on this topic please click here.

National Coordinators and other stakeholders from Asia met from 9 to 11 September in Bangkok, Thailand to discuss areas of possible cooperation. The meeting was organized and hosted by the Department of Livestock Development of Thailand. Twenty people, including National Coordinators from six countries (Bhutan, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam) participated. Among the key issues discussed were (1) the need for and process for establishment of an Asian Regional Focal Point and (2) priority areas for capacity building within the region. The countries also reported on national matters regarding AnGR and climate change and on access and benefit sharing for AnGR.

The participants concluded that there is a clear need for an Asian Regional Focal Point and efforts will be made to engage the entire region to move this process forward. A version of DAD-Net specific to Asia has been established to facilitate communication among the countries.

The main demands for regional capacity building identified were (1) national and regional conservation of AnGR, (2) response to climate change, (3) development of niche markets and (4) AnGR policy.

A second meeting of Asian National Coordinators is tentatively planned for 10 to 14 November 2014 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in conjunction with the 16th Congress of the Asian Australasian Animal Production Societies.

The report of 14th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) has been published. Other language versions will be made available at the the Commission's website as they become available.

The following parts of the report are particularly relevant for animal genetic resources:

• Targets and indicators for animal genetic resources (see p 5)
• Animal Genetic Resources section (see pp 10-12) including the following topics: Review of the implementation of the Interlaken outcomes, Implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, Funding Strategy for the Implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources and Preparation of The Second Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
  
  
  The Commission endorsed the draft questionnaire for collecting national data to support the preparation of The Second Report and appealed to all FAO Members and international organizations to provide, in a timely manner, the information required for the preparation of The Second Report;
  
  The next session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture has been scheduled to take place over 26-28 November 2014. The Second Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture will have to be made available ca 6 weeks prior to this meeting. Due to the very short timeline, we would like to ask you to establish or re-activate National Advisory Committees (as described in Developing the institutional framework for the management of animal genetic resources ) and commence collecting data for updating your national data in DAD-IS and to respond to the questionnaire.
  2013-06-05

The Fourteenth Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture will take place in Rome, 15 – 19 April 2013, with several documents related to Animal Genetic Resources:

CGRFA-14/13/4.2 Targets and Indicators for Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

CGRFA-14/13/12 Report of the Seventh Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

CGRFA-14/13/13 FAO Progress Report on the Implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources and the Interlaken Declaration

CGRFA-14/13/14 Review of the Funding Strategy for the Implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources

CGRFA-14/13/15 Preparation of The Second Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

2013-03-22

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO – AGAG, RNE and SNE), in collaboration with the Directorate of Production Chain Development (DDFP) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Morocco and the National Association for Sheep and Goat Breeders (ANOC) and the Hassan II Veterinary and Agronomic Institute (IAV Hassan II), will organize the above mentioned regional workshop. This Regional Workshop is organized in partnership with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (IAMZ), the project of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) GALIMED and the European project ARIMNET. The workshop aims to strengthen the capacity of National Coordinators for the Management of Animal Genetic Resources, researchers and professionals involved in the management and utilization of local breeds and thereby enable an integrated approach to phenotypic and genetic characterization. The workshop will also provide an opportunity for sharing experiences in the promotion of local breeds and strengthening focal points for animal genetic resources at national and regional levels. The workshop will be attended by National coordinators, researchers and professionals working on animal genetic resources management.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO – AGAG, RNE and SNE), in collaboration with the National Health Safety of Food Products (ONSSA), the Directorate of Production Chain Development (DDFP) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Morocco, the Hassan II Veterinary and Agronomic Institute (IAV Hassan II), the Maghreb Union of Sheep and Goat Associations (UMAOC) and the Maghreb Union of Cattle Breeders’ Associations (UMAEB), will organize the above mentioned regional workshop. The objective of the workshop is to strengthen the capacity of senior staff of veterinary services, breeding organizations and related services and professional organizations in animal identification and traceability, especially institutional and regulatory aspects and technical aspects of systems’ design and the management of activities and data. The workshop also aims to share experiences and help to harmonize the animal identification and traceability systems in the countries of the region. The workshop will be attended by veterinarians and an animal production specialists from each country; representatives of professional regional organizations (UMAOC and UMAEB); and experts in the management of systems for the identification and traceability of animals. Around 50 participants from 21 countries have confirmed their participation for each workshop

While many countries are taking action to halt the erosion of livestock genetic resources, crucial for food and agriculture, a substantial gap remains that needs to be urgently addressed.

Reports from 80 countries on the progress made in implementing the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources were presented in October at an international conference in Rome.

The reports show that governments are beginning to put programmes into place to reverse the alarming decline in the numbers of indigenous livestock breeds.

"The encouraging news is that on average the countries that submitted reports have begun to implement about half the actions agreed under the Global Plan of Action ranging from conservation schemes to surveys of livestock numbers, to the development of policies and legal frameworks addressing livestock biodiversity," said Irene Hoffmann, Chief of FAO's Animal Genetic Resources Branch.

Please click here for more information.

The guidelines on cryoconservation of animal genetic resources are now available. To download them please click here.

These guidelines are part of a series of publications produced by FAO to support countries in the implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources. While each of these publications addresses a different aspect of the management of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture they should be utilized in conjunction. Please have also a look at:

Preparation of national strategies and action plans for animal genetic resources.

Breeding strategies for sustainable management of animal genetic resources.

Surveying and monitoring of animal genetic resources.

Molecular genetic characterization of animal genetic resources.

Phenotypic characterization of animal genetic resources.

2012-11-16

Ex situ conservation is a valuable component of a national plan for the management of animal genetic resources, particularly as a complement to in situ conservation. By definition, ex situ conservation involves the transfer of genetic resources out of their “natural” environments, and ownership of the material may often change as well. Therefore, special policies and institutional arrangements are needed to ensure fair access and benefit sharing. Also, ex situ conservation is usually not financially self-sustainable, and particular planning and coordination is required to ensure efficiency. If transboundary breeds are involved, planning on a multi-country basis is required.

To address these issues and provide capacity building, FAO (headquarters and the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia) teamed with the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) and the European Regional Focal Point for Animal Genetic Resources (ERFP) to present a workshop on the legal and institutional arrangements for ex situ conservation. The workshop was held from 23 to 26 May 2012 in Zagreb, Croatia, and was hosted by the Department of Animal Science and Technology in the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Zagreb.

The workshop brought together scientists from eastern and was western Europe and was attended by 48 persons from 30 countries. Each country was requested to prepare a brief report on its ex situ conservation programme, and selected countries presented their reports at the workshop. The workshop also included expert presentations on technical and policy-related issues, a field visit, and meetings at which countries planned for regional ex situ conservation activities.

For more information (including all presentations) please visit the ERFP web site.

The guidelines on phenotypic characterization of animal genetic resources are now available. To download them please click here.

These guidelines are part of a series of publications produced by FAO to support countries in the implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources. While each of these publications addresses a different aspect of the management of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture they should be utilized in conjunction. Please have also a look at:

• Preparation of national strategies and action plans for animal genetic resources.
• Developing the institutional framework for the management of animal genetic resources.
• Surveying and monitoring of animal genetic resources.
• Breeding strategies for sustainable management of animal genetic resources.
• Molecular genetic characterization of animal genetic resources.
  2012-06-15

A new e-learning tool has been designed to inform the general public about the importance of livestock and sustaining their genetic diversity. It is the product of an ongoing annual collaboration between FAO and the students of Iowa State University in the United States of America. It is based on the previous tool “Do you know” which we produced more than a decade ago on CD ROM.

A group of three students from Iowa State University, United States of America prepared the draft version of the e-module during a month-long visit to Rome as part of the “Dean’s Global Agriculture & Food Leadership Program”.

The interactive e-learning tool has separate units that inform the users about various topics related to animal genetic resources, review the main points and then test the comprehension of the information provided.
Download the e-learning module on your workstation before using it. To download click here.

The Seventh Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture will be held at FAO Headquarters in Rome from 24-26 October 2012.

The Session is being convened under the Regular Programme of the Organization. It will be conducted in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
The Working Group was established by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture at its Seventh Session in May 1997, in line with Conference Resolution 3/95.
FAO Members are being invited to attend these meetings, through the official channels. National Coordinators are invited to contact their relevant national authorities, so that their delegation be adequately represented as far as the animal genetic resources sector is concerned.

The Thirteenth Regular Session of the Commission decided that the Working Group should meet prior to the next Regular Session of the Commission to review:

• progress made in the implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources;
• the implementation of the Funding Strategy for the implementation of the Global Plan of Action;
• the preparation of The Second Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; and
• indicators to measure progress made in the implementation of the Global Plan of Action, and the further development of the headline indicator of the Convention on Biological Diversity for trends in genetic diversity of domesticated animal species of major socio-economic importance.

The members of the Working Group, as elected by the Thirteenth Session of the Commission, are as follows:

• Africa: Congo, Kenya, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe
• Asia: China, Malaysia, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Thailand
• Europe: Germany, Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland
• Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Suriname
• Near East: Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran (Islamic Republic of)
• North America: Canada, United States of America
• Southwest Pacific: Cook Islands, Fiji

Members of the Commission which are not members of the Working Group may participate, upon request to the Commission Secretariat, in the work of the Working Group in an observer capacity. The Working Group, or the Bureau on behalf of the Working Group, may invite experts, as well as representatives of specialized international organizations, to attend its meetings as observers.

A website has been set-up for this session. Documents are already listed and further documents will be uploaded when they become available. Please check regularly. For the working and information documents, click here.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) and the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), Bonn, Germany on behalf of the European Regional Focal Point for Animal Genetic Resources (ERFP) signed an important Memorandum of Understanding in February 2012. The purpose of this Memorandum is to ensure the long-term maintenance and development of the network of European Farm Animal Information Systems (EFABISnet) and DAD-IS, to allow for the continued automatic transfer of European animal genetic resources data to DAD-IS, through EFABIS.

The ILRI-SLU Capacity building project team jointly with FAO organized a 4-day follow-up workshop for the Sub-Saharan Africa held from 21st to 24th November 2011.

23 participants representing 17 countries (Botswana, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) attended the workshop.

The objectives of the workshop were to:

• Share outcomes, impacts, and constraints identified following the ILRI-SLU training course the participants attended previously.
• Map out a way forward for improving animal genetic resources in Sub-Saharan Africa, determine what it will take to implement the strategies identified, and begin a process of working with lead players who are ready to make a difference in the areas identified.

For more information on the workshop and ILRI-SLU Capacity building project have a look at the web pages of the workshop and the ILRI-SLU Capacity building project .

The Report of the Thirteenth Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is now available in English. Other language versions will be published on the Commission’s web site as they become available.

The Commission approved the launch of the first call for project proposals under the Funding Strategy for the Implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources. Other matters related to animal genetic resources discussed by the Commission included a review of progress in the implementation of the Global Plan of Action and the endorsement of several guideline publications produced by FAO. The Commission also decided to establish an Ad Hoc Technical Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing for Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

From 5th to 7th December 2011 a joint FAO-ICAR-FEPALE Workshop on "Animal identification and recording systems for traceability and livestock development in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean" will be held in Santiago, Chile.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) and the Pan-American dairy Federation (FEPALE), will organize a regional workshop on animal identification and recording systems for traceability and livestock development in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The workshop will be held on 5-7 December 2011, at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Santiago, Chile.

The workshop aims to raise awareness of the importance of animal identification and recording for livestock development and food security, share related regional experience and lead to some recommendations and call for actions to foster the implementation of such systems in the region, through public-private partnership.

The workshop will be attended by representatives of regulatory/standard setting bodies, development agencies, national authorities, private sector, and experts in related fields. Participation will be by invitation.

Please find more details in the announcement.

The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, in its Thirteenth Regular Session in July 2011 decided to open the First Call for Proposals under the Funding Strategy for the implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources.

The Call relates to the FAO Trust Account in support of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources for the biennium 2011-2012 which will invest more than USD 1 Million in projects globally.

The thematic focus of the First Call for Proposals, within the three agreed priorities of the Funding Strategy, is helping to ensure sustainable food security by assisting livestock keepers and farmers in activities on the conservation and sustainable use of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture.

Any governmental or non-governmental organization, including research institutions and gene banks, livestock keepers and livestock keepers’ organizations and regional and international organizations, based in developing countries or countries with economies in transition that are Commission Members may apply for grants until 15/11/2011. Applications must be submitted through the national authorities of a country that is a Commission Member or Commission.
For further details please click here.

During the Regional Workshop on Sustainable Management of Animal Genetic Resources in West and Central Africa, organized by FAO, in collaboration with the Regional Project on Sustainable Management of Endemic Ruminant Livestock in West Africa (PROGEBE), on 22–25 March 2010, in Dakar, Senegal, the decision was taken to establish a single Sub-Regional Focal Point (S-RFP) for West and Central Africa and the creation of an Interim Steering Committee (ISC) to oversee the process of its establishment. A roadmap was set up with the aim of establishing the S-RFP by mid 2011. The Dakar workshop was proceded by an electronic forum on DAD-NET West Africa, a network created to serve as a platform for information sharing and collaboration on AnGR related issues.

Following two preparatory e-forums (14 and 21 September 2010), the ISC met on 20–21 October 2010 in Accra, Ghana to (1) discuss the nature, structure, funding, promotion and establishment process of the S-RFP; (2) review and amend documents on the assessment and election procedure of S-RFP; and (3) prepare the Libreville workshop.

The Libreville workshop, organized with the technical and financial support of FAO, and in collaboration with the African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and PROGEBE, was preceded by an electronic forum on 16 May – 10 June 2011 for wider consultation on the working documents that were discussed in Libreville.

The workshop was attended by 41 participants: National Coordinators for the Management of Animal Genetic Resources from 21 West and Central African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo); representatives of international and regional organizations (AU-IBAR, CEBEVIRHA, CIRDES, ECOWAS, EISMV, FAO, ITC and PROGEBE) and of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development of the Gabonese Republic.

The opening ceremony was chaired by HE Mr Raymond Ndong-Sima, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development of the Gabonese Republic.
At the end of the workshop culminated by the "Libreville Declaration", the participants (1) formally adopted the terms of reference of the S-RFP with an operational structure consisting of a General Assembly (GA), a Steering Committee (SC) and a Secretariat, and the criteria for selecting the members of the SC and the institution hosting the Secretariat; (2) elected the members of the first SC; (3) declared the formal establishment of the S-RFP; and (4) formulated its 2011-2014 Programme of Work, with the preparation and holding of a GA to select the host institution of the Secretariat within two years in Lomé, Togo, as highest priority.

At the first International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, held in Interlaken Switzerland, in September 2007, the international community adopted the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources. Specifically, among the four Strategic Priority Areas contained in the Global Plan of Action, one is “Characterization, Inventory and Monitoring of Trends and Associated Risks”.

A three day workshop dealing with this topic was organized by FAO and hosted by the Estonian University of Life Sciences . Approximately 30 persons from 15 countries, National Coordinators for the Management of Animal Genetic Resources and their alternates from Albania, Belarus, Croatia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Serbia, TFYR Macedonia and Ukraine attended. “Draft Guidelines on Surveying and Monitoring of Animal Genetic Recourses”, “Draft Guidelines on Phenotypic Characterization” and “Draft Guidelines on Molecular Genetic Characterization” were introduced. Internationally well known scientists were invited as keynote speakers. The workshop also included presentations by participants on their own inventory, monitoring and characterization activities and a field trip.

For more information (including all presentations) go to the website of the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and the Subregional Office for Central and Eastern Europe: REU / SEU .

FAO is currently developing guidelines for the In Vivo Conservation of Animal Genetic Resources. The guidelines are currently in the draft stage and are undergoing validation through a series of regional workshops. On June 14-17 one such workshop was held in Wageningen, the Netherlands and was hosted by the Center for Genetic Resources of the Netherlands (CGN). The workshop was sponsored through a collaborative effort by the Animal Genetic Resources Branch and the Subregional Office for Central and Eastern Europe of FAO, the European Regional Focal Point for Animal Genetic Resources (ERFP) and the Dutch Ministry for Economic Affairs, Agriculture & Innovation.

The workshop brought together scientists from both Eastern and was Western Europe and was attended by 48 persons from 26 countries. Each chapter of the draft guidelines was evaluated in a three-step process. First, the author presented an overview of the chapter. Second, groups of participants discussed the chapters and applied its contents and concepts to selected local breeds and third, a representative from each group presented their results to the plenary. The workshop also included presentations by participants on their own conservation programmes and a field trip to see in vivo conservation activities in operation on several local farms.

For more information (including all presentations) go to: CGN website.