The critical role of national programs in advancing the state of conservation and sustainable use of PGR has been fully recognized during FAO’s Technical Conference in 1996. In the light of such an assessment, IPGRI CWANA has placed the strengthening of the scientific and technical capacities of national programs at the core of its efforts in this region.

Although PGR national programs in CWANA are rather heterogeneous in their status, it is possible to say that apart from a few exceptions, most of the countries are characterized by poor ex situ conservation facilities, including the state of the field gene banks.

For the purpose of having an indication of the status of development of national programs within the region, at the onset of its work in 1997, the regional project team members have analyzed national programs in each country on the basis of four main general criteria, namely:

Level of capacities in research and breeding

Degree of experience in PGR activities (surveying, collecting, characterization, evaluation etc)

Level of strength of National Research institutions as with regard to staff (including number of PGR ex-trainees), variety of research issues and crops/species covered, funding etc.)

Degree of involvement of Universities (particularly faculties of Agriculture and Sciences) in PGR work.

An effective national PGR program is defined herein as "a systematic and coordinated activity(ies) which aims at conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources, undertaken by an individual or a group of individuals and which has a minimal institutional commitment in order to ensure sustainability".

Stakeholders are "People affected by or could influence the impact of an activity or a project". They include individuals; groups, such as users; interest groups; beneficiaries and those involved in or excluded from the decision-making process and institutions. Primary stakeholders are those people wholly dependent on a resource of an area for their survival and usually live in or near such a resource. Secondary stakeholders are people and institutions with a stake or interest, or who play an intermediary role in the resources or area.

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