Report 74 contains the findings and recommendation of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties review of the Agreement for the Establishment of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, tabled in Parliament on 28 March 2006.

The Agreement for Establishment of the Global Crop Diversity Trust although a separate legal instrument, will operate within the framework of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was reviewed in the Committee’s 68th Report and provides a binding international framework for the conservation, sustainable use and exchange of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture for global food security. The Agreement through the establishment of the Global Crop Diversity Trust secures the long-term conservation aims of the International Treaty through long-term funding.

The Agreement will provide for the establishment of a Trust to finance genebank conservation of crop genetic diversity. The focus of the Trust will be to secure the future of key international collections under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research system.

The Trust is a public-private partnership that will be financed by voluntary contributions from North American and European Corporations and private foundations. The permanent endowment will be US$260 million and will generate US$10-14 million annually for the maintenance of eligible national, regional and international genebanks or collections of crop diversity. While the majority of funding received in the early stages has come from national governments, the Trust will shortly commence fundraising, concentrating on private sources.

Australia has made the largest overall financial commitment to the Trust of A$12.5 million. The Government informed the Committee that accession to the Agreement would formalise Australia’s involvement in line with its commitment to global crop diversity and complement Australia’s interests in the International Treaty.

The Committee has agreed to fast track the review of this treaty as on 6 April 2006 the Hon Alexander Downer MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs informed the Committee that Australia is seeking to secure a position on the Executive Board of the Global Crop Diversity Trust. Further, the Minister stated that Australia’s position on the Board would ensure appropriate consideration of Australia’s interests and that Australia’s Executive Board campaign would be strengthened if Australia were in a position to become a Party to the Trust Agreement at the time of the Board’s first meeting. The Board’s first meeting is scheduled to take place from 12 to 15 June 2006.

The Executive Board of the Trust will have responsibility for the operation of the Trust, control over its budget and ensure its policies are in line with those of the International Treaty. The Committee was informed that Australia has taken a leading role in the establishment of the Trust and its ongoing management and administration.

Australia was elected Chair of the Donor’s Council of the Trust for an initial term of three years at the inaugural meeting of the Council in October 2005. In this role, Australia is responsible for selecting four members of the Executive Board of the Trust in the first half of 2006.

As the Parliament would be aware, the period for review of proposed category 1 treaty actions by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties is 20 sitting days. The period of review for this treaty would have expired in mid August at which time the Committee expects to report on seven other proposed treaty actions tabled on 28 March 2006.

However, in fast tracking this review, the Committee is concerned that there is only one other Cairns Group member and no other developed country member which Australia would benchmark itself against in agricultural research, party to this Agreement and that in the Committee’s three-year review of the International Treaty, the Trust Agreement was not brought to its attention.

In conclusion, the Committee supports Australia’s campaign to seek a position on the Executive Board of the Trust and believes that Australia’s representation on the Executive Board will ensure appropriate consideration of Australia’s interests at the upcoming meeting of the Governing Body of the International Treaty. The Committee therefore recommends that the treaty reviewed in Report 74 be acceded to.

I commend the report to the Senate.