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In 2000, all countries and leading development institutions adopted the Millennium Development Goals, as a blueprint for meeting the needs of the world's poorest people. Productive and sustainable agriculture is a prerequisite for meeting many of the eight main goals, and fundamental to:

• Goal 1 - eradicate poverty and hunger


• Goal 7 - ensure environmental sustainability.

The ability of agriculture to play this critical role depends on the genetic diversity that underpins its productivity and stability, and that enables it to evolve and adapt to meet future needs and opportunities. It is vital that this diversity be effectively conserved and available for use.

There is no controversy over the importance of crop diversity - the Trust's work responds to the many strong calls for action which the international community has made over recent years.

• In 1992, the Convention on Biological Diversity highlighted the importance of conservation, and in 2002 the Parties to the Convention adopted the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, including specific targets for crop diversity conservation. In 2004 the Conference of the Parties to the Convention passed a resolution welcoming the development of the Trust.



• In 1996, 150 countries adopted the the FAO Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. This Plan calls for action to safeguard "as much existing unique and valuable diversity as possible in ex situ collections of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture." The Trust responds directly to that call: the technical framework for the Trust is provided by the Global Plan, which includes among its priorities the development of an efficient and effective system of ex situ conservation. The Trust contributes to at least half of the Global Plan of Action's 20 Priority Activities.



• In 2001, the member countries of FAO unanimously adopted the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (2001) that requires that Parties "cooperate to promote the development of an efficient and sustainable system of ex situ conservation." The policy framework for the Trust is provided by the International Treaty, and the Trust operates in accordance with the overall policy guidance provided by the Governing Body of the International Treaty. The Trust serves as an essential element of the Treaty's funding strategy, and it is envisaged that its status will be recognized in a relationship agreement between the Executive Board of the Trust and the Governing Body of the International Treaty.