“APEC’S Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group (ATCWG) would organize, in Taiwan, the International Symposium on the Relationship between CBD and TRIPs in Plant Genetic Resources,” said the Council of Agriculture. The representatives sent by the sixteen member economies would join the conference, which would run from December 12 to 15, 2006. The topics were plant genetic resources preservation and utilization. The result of this symposium expected to create new opportunities for agricultural further development as well as promote sustainable agriculture.

“Taiwan advocated establishing Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group and all the member economies agreed to the proposal in 1994. Taiwan has played a key role in this professional field since it was organized.” stressed the Council of Agriculture. Its intent aims to promote cooperation along the Pacific Rim in communication of agricultural science and technical knowledge and development experience to make imbalances reduced in agricultural development among the member economies, the resources well utilized, the agricultural production efficiency elevated and the quality and diversity of produce promoted. However, Taiwan is the main advocator of “Conservation and Utilization of Plant and Animal Genetic Resources,” which is one of the important seven areas that the ATCWG focuses on, but is not limited to according to the terms of reference of the working group. To promote communication of the development experiences along the Pacific Rim in conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources, the Council of Agriculture hold the International Symposium, which ran from December 12 to 15, on the Relationship between CBD and TRIPs in Plant Genetic Resources. The venue is Imperial Hotel, Taipei and its address is 12F, No. 660, Lin-shen N. Rd., Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.).

Sixteen out of current twenty-one APEC member economies have sent their representatives to participate the symposium this time. Those economies included Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, S. Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United States and Vietnam.

Genetic resources is one of the most important resources in the 21st century and thus, a majority of countries have contributed to it. The United Nations stresses conservation, suitable utilization and fair sharing of genetic resources in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and however, the World Trade Organization view genetic resources from the perspectives of trade and intellectual property and emphasizes management of it in the Agreement on Trade Related Aspect of Intellectual Property (TRIPs). Consequently, the difference has aroused several discussions in many international occasions. “In the symposium, the participants would comprehensively communicate and discuss their ideas on several issues such as acquisition and sustainable utilization of plant genetic resources. Most important of all, the discussion would focus on the prior agreement on registration of patents for genetic resources and how to share derivative interest once patents are taken out.” said the Council of Agriculture.

Those representatives sent by the member economies would better understand our efforts in development of  agriculture, and ecological resources conservation, through visits arranged by the Council of Agriculture, to several attractions along the North Coast, Landscape Gardening Center, National Center for Traditional Arts and Fu-shan Botanical Garden in Yi-lan. Certainly, the tour would be helpful to promoting Taiwan’s international image.

The subsidiary administrations under the Council of Agriculture, colleges, universities, Bureau of Foreign Trade and Intellectual Property Bureau under the Ministry of Economic Affairs were also invited to the symposium. Representatives sent by organizations for agriculture or forestry could acquire experiences and the updated information of development, utilization and preservation of plant genetic resources in those economies. In addition, through this symposium the technical cooperation between Taiwan and other member economies in preservation and utilization of plant genetic resources will be further strengthened.