Lorna E. Herradura, PhD has been serving the government as researcher and administrator for almost 35 yrs. She obtained her Doctorate in Bioscience Engineering from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. Currently, she is the Agricultural Center Chief IV of the Bureau of Plant Industry-Davao National Crop Research Development and Production Support Center (BPI-DNCRDPSC).
While serving as assistant director, she has been actively involved with ITPGRFA and is currently the National Focal Point of the Philippines. The BPI is the chair of the technical working group for the implementation of the Treaty in the Philippines which plays the lead role in fulfilling the country’s commitment specifically in identifying and developing integrated approaches to advance the implementation of the Treaty.
Abstract:The International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) comprising of several countries with the main objectives of conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of its use for sustainable agriculture and food security (FAO, 2022) has still several issues to be ironed out since the entry into force of the Treaty. The major issues of concern for Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) are the enhanced functioning of the Multilateral System of Exchange, a proposal for the amendment of the Treaty coverage, i.e. expansion of annex I and enhancement of Funding Strategy. The current progress in the implementation of the ABS and its provisions as it affects the contracting parties particularly in the Asian region will be discussed.
