THE 26^TH SESSION OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE ICGEB

HOSTED AT THE ICGEB HEADQUARTERS IN TRIESTE, ITALY VIA VIRTUAL PLATFORM, ON WEDNESDAY 18 AND THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER

OVER 130 DELEGATES FROM 65 COUNTRIES WILL MEET TO DISCUSS THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ICGEB – BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INITIATIVES, THE GLOBAL BATTLE AGAINST COVID19, DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS AND CAPACITY BUILDING FOR

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Press Release

THE OFFICIAL WELCOME, AT 13:00 TODAY, WITH MINISTER FABRIZIO NICOLETTI, ITALIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AND THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE ICGEB LAWRENCE BANKS

ADDRESS BY THE NEWLY-APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF THE ICGEB REGIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE IN TAIZHOU, CHINA, NILI (NATHAN) YANG, CHINESE ACADEMY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES

The President of the Board, Mr. Victor Smirnov (Russia) opened the 26^th session of the ICGEB Board of Governors on Wednesday, 18 November to participants from the ICGEB’s constituency and partners across the globe. ICGEB Director-General, Lawrence Banks presents the research activities and programmes of the ICGEB, together with Roger Beachy, Chair of the ICGEB Council of Scientific Advisers (USA), ICGEB New Delhi Director, Dinakar Salunke (India), ICGEB Cape Town Interim Director, Luiz Zerbini (South Africa) and ICGEB Scientific Coordinator, Vittorio Venturi (Italy).

Governors representing 50 ICGEB Member States will be in attendance each day. The newly-appointed Director of the ICGEB Regional Research Centre in Taizhou, China, Yili Yang, will address the Board, and the Governors from Kenya, the Republic of Moldova, Sri Lanka and Panama will update the Board on the ICGEB Regional Research Centres in their countries. Among the other items for discussion: the renewal of the appointments of the Directors of New Delhi and Cape Town, the flourishing collaboration with South Africa and the renewed Host Country Agreement and the ICGEB Outstation in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

More than 12 Observer nations will be present, and include countries from Africa, Asia, Middle East and Latin America and welcomed by the Board. The delegates from Djibouti, Angola, and the Dominican Republic, will update the Board on their countries’ actions to accede to ICGEB membership. ICGEB Chief of External Relations, Marianna Maculan, will also present developments on membership from Rwanda. The President of the Chamber of the European and International Affairs of the Italian Court of Auditors, Giovanni Coppola will report on the Financial statements and accounts of the ICGEB.

Observers from 13 Multilateral Organisations, valuable partners of ICGEB, will be in attendance, including the European Commission, FAO, IAEA, IILA, IRRI, TWAS, UNIDO, UNOSSC and WIPO. From Trieste, delegates from CEI and from the Region FVG will be present, as well as the President of ILLY, Andrea Illy.

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Press contact: Suzanne Kerbavcic, ICGEB Communications, Public Information and Outreach

Tel: +39-3405971692

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