The Genetic Resources Policy Initiative Newsletter: June 2007

The GRPI project whose five year term ends in December 2007 is taking a more 'hands on' approach throughout the year in order to meet and fulfill project commitments on time. All GRPI country and sub-regional projects are being implored to 'step up' the pace of implementation with the collaboration and support of the GGCO to produce the expected outputs before the end of the year. Several flagship publications will be produced later in the year, marking the beginning of the production of a wider and more comprehensive set of project outputs. The flagship publications will include Exploring Definitions of Farmers' Varieties in Strategies to Promote Farmers' Rights. This publication will highlight the outcomes of the international workshop on the same topic that was held in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2006. Another flagship publication will be entitled the Role of Economics in Biodiversity Policy. This publication will be based on the economics component of the work being undertaken in the GRPI countries. Outcomes of an international workshop on the same topic that was held in Lusaka, Zambia in March 2007 will also be included. Other flagship publications expected include monographs from the GRPI countries that will 'tell a story' of what each country project component is doing and how these components relate to each other. The GGCO activities in the first quarter of 2007 have been characterized by putting in place mechanisms to ensure the timely delivery of project outputs. This has entailed, among other things, taking the lead in developing the guidelines of the expected publications highlighted above and following up closely on GRPI country activities. The GGCO will continue to liaise with and make frequent follow-ups to country projects so as to provide technical and administrative support throughout the year. The GRPI country and sub-regional project activities in the first quarter of 2007 have been focussing on finalizing the phase 2 year 1 activities and beginning the phase 2 year 2 activities. Several countries have submitted research reports to the GGCO for review. Others are yet to do so, and in light of the urgency (in terms of output delivery timetables), they are being encouraged to hasten their 'pace' in this regard. The economics component of the work in the GRPI countries constitutes a significant part of the phase 2 work. The GGCO has sought the assistance of a resource economist to take charge of the economics-related work. The economist joined the GGCO this quarter and is based at the Nairobi office until the end of the project. This newsletter gives you an overview of the work that the GRPI countries and GGCO have done this quarter so as to ensure that all GRPI partners (including those who are implementing project activities) are in the picture regarding the activities of the project. In this issue, the Policy Trends section looks at the concept of biodiversity valuation and its role in policy. Finally, we acknowledge with thanks all contributions made to the content the current newsletter, particularly from our stakeholders in various national programmes who have shared their stories about recent activities. The purpose of this newsletter is to inform all our national partners and stakeholders of activities and events that are taking place in the Project. The unique design allows for quick and easy access to articles of interest to you. New articles will be added every time we produce the newsletter. There will be three editions of this newsletter for the purpose of targeting information that is relevant to your needs. For more information, do not hesitate to contact us. As always, we would like to extend our gratitude to all national partners and stakeholders who have played an instrumental role in our efforts aimed at strengthening capacity to analyse national options.