The Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was formally adopted by representatives of 150 countries including Thailand, during the International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources held in Leipzig in 1996. The Conference also adopted the Leipzig Declaration, which focuses on the importance of plant genetic resources for world food security, and commits countries to the implementation of the Plan.

The Global Plan of Action (GPA) represents an important contribution to the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity in the field of food and agriculture and it is one of the supporting elements of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Its main objectives are (i) to ensure the conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) as a basis for food security, (ii) to promote sustainable utilization of PGRFA in order to foster development and to reduce hunger and poverty, (iii) to promote a fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of PGRFA, (iv) to assist countries and institutions responsible for conserving and using PGRFA to identify priorities for action, and (v) to strengthen national, regional and international programmes for the conservation and utilization of PGRFA, including education and training. To meet these objectives 20 priority activity areas are included in the GPA organized into four groups: In Situ Conservation and Development, Ex Situ Conservation, Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources, and Institutions and Capacity Building.

Since 2003, Thailand and other seven countries from South and South East Asia are participating in the FAO project GCP/RAS/186/JPN "Implementation of the GPA in Asia" which has supported the establishment of the National Information Sharing Mechanism on PGRFA.

The Mechanism is based on the participation of stakeholders at national level and seeks to promote information exchange and strengthen stakeholder cooperation, thereby contributing to enhance the capacity of the National Programme for Conservation and Utilisation of Plant Germplasm and Agro-biodiversity. The Mechanism includes a computer application to facilitate the management of the information addressed by a list of indicators and a related reporting format for monitoring the implementation of the GPA in the country.

The Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation (DOA) acted as the Coordinating Organization for the Mechanism in the country and counted on the participation of other 28 National Stakeholders. Activities towards its establishment included an initial stakeholders' meeting held in 2004 at Rama Gardens in Bangkok to gain the understanding and commitment of stakeholders in the monitoring process, implantation and training on the computer application, and a second stakeholders' workshop held in February 2005 to train stakeholders in the use of the computer application. Following the analysis of the information gathered, a report including an overview of the status of PGRFA activities in Thailand is being prepared.

All the information compiled under the National Information Sharing Mechanism on GPA Implementation, including the final country report, can be accessed in through this web site. Other countries' Mechanism including the Thai Mechanism can be accessed in several languages under the FAO World Information and Early Warning System on Plant Genetic Resources (WIEWS). The computer application of the Mechanism and its database are also available off-line on CDs.