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A number of international conventions, agreements and guidelines govern the use of genetic resources and the related issues of biotechnology and intellectual property rights. Research centres under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) have developed and agreed on various policy instruments, guidelines and position statements to guide and validate their decisions regarding genetic resources.

Title Description
International Plant Germplasm Exchange Protocol This is a draft document between the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate (KEPHIS) and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) that seeks to ensure that phytosanitary regulations are adhered to during the movement of plant germplasm and any other raw plant material.
Guide for the CGIAR Centres’ Use of the Standard Material Transfer Agreement Guide for the CGIAR Centres’ Use
of the Standard Material Transfer
Agreement
ICRAF Policy genetic resources ICRAF Policy genetic resources
ICRAF and Forest Landscape Denmark  Policy briefs Better Trees on-farm in Africa I
The contribution of National Tree Seed Centres to  development of small-scale tree planting
Intellectual Property Rights In consideration of the legal issues that have arisen from increasing recognition of the importance of plant genetic resources for agriculture and forestry and given that ICRAF has always supplied tree seed free of charge through donor-supported programmes, an IPR related policy was formulated to deal with germplasm exchange between regions made applicable to date.
ICRAF and Forest Landscape Denmark  Policy briefs Better Trees on-farm in Africa II
How can the input supply of tree seed and planting material
to the small scale African tree planters be improved?
Standard Material Transffer Agreement (SMTA) The objectives of the Treaty are the conservation and sustainable use of Plant Genetic Resources for
Food and Agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture The objectives of this Treaty are the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use
FAO listing of invasive Trees and Shrub species FAO listing of invasive Trees and Shrub species