What is this system for

This website provides users of the Multilateral System of the International Treaty with two separate tools:

• The Online SMTA Generation and Reporting tool (OSGR): this tool supports the full SMTA workflow with functions for the generation, revision and acceptance of new SMTAs as well as for the reporting to the Governing Body on concluded SMTA. It addresses small provider operations who need a way to compile a well-formed SMTA and to report on it to the Governing Body according to the requirements spelled out in the SMTA and those approved later on by the Governing Body. It can also be used as a reference and an example of how a SMTA management system could be implemented to comply with the current Provider's responsibilities towards the Governing Body.
• The Online Reporting Form (ORF): This tool focuses exclusively on the reporting to the Governing Body of concluded SMTAs, offering very similar options to the generation tool.

In order to facilitate its use, both tools are available in the six official languages of the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish).

 

What is the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA)?

The Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) is a private contract with standard terms and conditions that ensures that the relevant provisions of the International Treaty are followed by individual providers and recipients of plant genetic material. The key concepts involved in preparing an SMTA are:

• Provider: the party to the contract shipping the plant genetic resources. It can be an individual or an organization. The provider must be registered on the system to be able to use the tools.
• Recipient: the party the material is sent to. It can be an individual or an organization. The generation and reporting tool (OSGR)requires the Recipient to also be registered on the system. When the Provider initiates the compilation of an SMTA he can also send an e-mail invitation to recipients that are not listed a users of the system.. To minimize delays in the SMTA processing, the Provider can register the Recipient on the system. The Recipient will be notified with an email of the registration details.
• PID: The PID is a unique 6-character code assigned by the system upon user registration. Each user account is forever identified by the same PID.. It is used to discriminate among homonymous users. Provider's and Recipient's PIDs are incorporated in the SMTA symbol generated by the system for each SMTA.
• Samples: the plant genetic material being transferred with the SMTA. It is identified by the Sample ID and the crop name. It can be "Material under Development" according to the terminology of Article 2 of the SMTA in which case ancestry information is also required.
• Sample ID: it is an identifier (usually but not necessarily the accession number) assigned to the sample being transferred to uniquely identify it among the material belonging to the Provider.
• Crop name: it is the name of the crop the sample belongs to. It is usually one of the crop names listed in the Annex 1 to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

Ancestry information: If the sample being transferred is "Material under Development", the Governing Body requires the Provider to specify the crop and Sample ID, received under the Multilateral System, from which the sample has been derived during the development process.

Associated information: It refers to all available passport data and, subject to applicable law, any other associated available non-confidential descriptive information, to be made available with the plant genetic resources for food and agriculture provided with the SMTA. This can be done in three ways in the tool:

• indicating a single URL where this is information is available for all the samples listed in the Annex 1 to the SMTA. This option assumes that the Provider has a way to publish such information on the Web and may not be of use by most providers.
• entering all the information in a single text area field associated to the entire SMTA. This is feasible only when all samples share the same information.
• entering the specific information against each sample. This option allows for greatest flexibility.

Document language: The system allows the SMTAs to be generated in the six official languages of the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). The language used in the document should be agreed between the Provider and the Recipient so that both parties understand its text and provisions. The language of the SMTA is independent of the language of the user interface (that can be selected by each user). In other words, a French speaker can use the system in French while preparing a SMTA in Chinese.

SMTA Type: according to Article 10 of the SMTA, there are three types:

• Signed: is the traditional way of doing things. The document is sent to the recipient for physical signature and the material is shipped when the signed document is received by the Provider.
• Shrink-wrap: is used when the document is shipped along with the material. By accepting the parcel, the recipient accepts the terms of the agreement. No signature is required.
• Click-wrap: in which the Provider prepares the document and makes it available to the recipient for acceptance by electronic means. The Recipient, using a tool function, accepts the SMTA on line, without any need for signing and mailing back the document. The system registers and witnesses the acceptance of the agreement.

The acceptance method should be agreed upon between the Provider and the Recipient.