Annual Report

Asia, the Pacific
and Oceania
PROGRAMME ACTIVTIES
The Asia, the Pacific and Oceania Regional Office is based in Singapore,
with coordinating offices in Beijing and New Delhi. In early 1994, a full-
' :
time coordinator for the Coconut Genetic Resources Network joined the
Singapore office, enabling the activities of this network to expand dramati-
cally during the year. The Office continued to manage projects in the region
aimed at strengthening national programmes, improving conservation
and use of underutilized crops, tropical fruits and taro and yam, and build-
ing up the plant genetic resources component of various networks in the
region. The Office also managed a global project on germplasm regenera-
tion ingenebanks and carried out activities of Headquarters-based projects
Selected project and N(Os to assess the range of wild and
activites
cultivated plants that are utilized in local
co mninties.Indonesia, In a national plant
National programme support genetic resources workshop held with
and development II)GRIl support increased interest in Net-
IPGRI staff visited 18 countries in the region work Information Systems (see below). A
to provide then with specific advice and similar workshop held in Nepal recoin-
facilitate activities. Requests for biblio-
mended that the government form an in-
graphic information, and bulk orders for tegrated national committee on plant ge-
publications, were met from all three AI[O netic resources.
offices in the region. Subregional networking among six to
An in-depth programme in Vietnam eight countries can be very effective in fos­
developed a national plan of action to tering collaboration and developing com­
strengthen the plant genetic resources sys- non perspectives on, and interest in, plant
tem in the country. In Laos, a country that genetic resources. A meeting of five East
until recently had been insulated from out- Asian representatives recommended an
side changes, IllGRI is assisting the NARC East Asian plant genetic resources network.
Abbreviations - see pp. 105-106
IDStren&4hening
national plant genetic
a.
in Asia, the Pacific and
in steaifcd
Oceania
0 Coconut Genetic
Resources Network
Q u Improving Ilro psn o
underutilized crops of
regional orlocal
importance
0 Promoting
conservation and use
of tropical fruit species
in Asia
0 Improvement of
taro andyamresources
0 Facilitating
collaboration and
networks on plant
geneticresources
0 Strategies for
maintenance of genetic
integrity inexsitu
collectionsofplant
geneticresources
0