At the FAO International Conference on Plant Genetic Resources, in 1996, following the adoption of the Global Plan of Action (GPA), 150 countries agreed that "overall progress in the implementation of the GPA and of the related follow-up processes would be monitored and guided by the national governments and other Members of FAO, through the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture". To this end, the Commission was asked to set the formats for receiving progress reports from all the parties concerned and establish criteria and indicators to assess progress in the implementation of the GPA.

Subsequently, the Commission requested FAO to:

• play a proactive and creative role in monitoring GPA implementation,
• develop a transparent and efficient monitoring process,
• define a core set of indicators to facilitate such a process, and
• continue strengthening collaboration among relevant international organizations in monitoring and preparing reports on genetic resources for food and agriculture.

Surveys for monitoring GPA implementation were carried out in 1998 and, following a methodological refinement, in 2000 and 2003.

Meanwhile, a New Approach for Monitoring GPA Implementation was proposed to the First Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on PGRFA of the Commission and to the Ninth Regular Session of the Commission. New Monitoring Approach's main components, developed jointly by FAO and IPGRI with the contribution of National PGRFA Programmes and experts, include:

• a list of Indicators and Reporting Format for monitoring at country level all GPA priority activity areas (English, Arabic, Azeri, Chinese, Czech, French, Georgian, German, Italian, Lao, Malay, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese);
• a Computer application, which has been developed to facilitate and simplify recording, processing, analysis and sharing of the information addressed by the indicators and the questionnaire; and
• Guidelines for managing a participatory process involving stakeholders and for establishing National Information sharing Mechanism on GPA implementation.

See also Guiding Principles and Objectives of the new monitoring approach.

During 2003-2004 the new monitoring approach was tested in a number of countries. In 2004, the Commission's Tenth Regular Session adopted the indicators and reporting format for monitoring the implementation of the Global Plan of Action, revised after the pilot testing, and supported the application of the new monitoring approach to all countries, in view of the integration of these monitoring activities with the preparation of the second report on the State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

As of June 2005, 18 countries had completed or were in the course of monitoring implementation of the Global Plan of Action using the new approach. In addition, preliminary discussions have been held and funding has been secured for undertaking the new monitoring approach in additional 10 countries. Three International Agricultural Research Centres, namely ICRISAT, IPGRI and IRRI, are monitoring their implementation of the Global Plan of Action using the new approach. Remaining Centres of the CGIAR system agreed to make available relevant information on the implementation of the Plan, based on the experience build by the three Centres.

10 countries have implemented a National Information Sharing Mechanism as of June 2005. Monitoring information shared by these countries can be consulted through their own web sites ( Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Bolivia, Fiji, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Papua New Guinea and Uzbekistan), and through a prototype global portal under WIEWS.