Major partners

The cross-cutting initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition is being jointly developed by the CBD and its partners, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).

FAO leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO's efforts -- to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO's mandate is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy.

IPGRI is an international research institute with a mandate to advance the conservation and use of genetic diversity for the well-being of present and future generations. It is a Centre of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). IPGRI’s vision is that people today and in the future enjoy greater well-being through increased incomes, sustainably improved food security and nutrition, and greater environmental health, made possible by conservation and the deployment of agricultural biodiversity on farms and in forests.

Key partners and initiatives

Intergovernmental organizations
Under the proposed framework of the biodiversity for food and nutrition initiative, the intergovernmental organizations listed below, and others, are encouraged to include biodiversity-related considerations in the implementation of their programmes and strategies.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

The World Health Organization (WHO)

The United Nations Standing Committee on Nutrition (SCN)

Consultative Group on Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

The World Food Programme (WFP)

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

The United Nations University (UNU)

The relevant programmes and strategies referred to in the framework include but are not limited to:

The Global Plan of Action to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals (prepared through the Secretary-General’s Millennium Project) and in particular its action plan on hunger;

The Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

The FAO World Food Summit Plan of Action The Plan of Action aims to reduce the number of undernourished people to half the 1996 level by 2015, with efforts to reach this goal spearheaded by the International Alliance Against Hunger. The Plan includes commitments for access to a nutritionally adequate diet, and makes specific reference to biodiversity.

The WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health Although the Strategy makes no specific reference to dietary diversity, it does recognize the potential health benefits of traditional dietary practices, including those of indigenous peoples.

The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) The assessment aims to bring an objective view of the long-term challenges facing world agriculture. Contributing experts will try to project what kind of world we are likely to end up with if current trends continue and assess how we might best address these challenges.

Although not mentioned in the framework, other initiatives that could incorporate biodiversity for food and nutrition into their work include:

FAO/UNU International Network of Food Data Systems (INFOODS) INFOODS promotes the need for identifying and disseminating cultivar-specific nutrient profiles of food plants and animals. INFOODS research has demonstrated the micronutrient superiority of some lesser-known or wild cultivars over widely-utilized cultivars, lending support to links between biodiversity and nutrition.

The FAO Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping System (FIVIMS) FIVIMs are data systems that assemble, analyse and disseminate information on who the food insecure are, where they are located, and why they are food insecure, nutritionally vulnerable or at risk.

Government and other international and national institutions
Under the framework, Governments and other international and national institutions are encouraged to contribute to the initiative, along with intergovernmental organizations. These include:

The International Council for Science (ICSU)

The International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS)

Other research and academic associations

Civil-society organizations and movements, including the Slow Food Movement

Indigenous and local community organizations

Private sector

Groups and initiatives represented at the first consultation on biodiversity for food and nutrition are listed here.