The justification for conceptualizing and launching the Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB) is elaborated in FAO (2006). With the implementation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, there is an important and timely opportunity to improve the balance between the support to conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) and that directed to its effective use to meet producer and consumer needs, to address food security and livelihood concerns and to contribute to the Millennium Development Goals. Sustainable utilization of PGR requires careful characterization, evaluation and documentation as well as effective plant breeding strategies for continuous and cost-efficient use of germplasm for improved crop productivity and quality.

However, capacities in plant breeding, including both conventional and modern technologies, in most developing countries are neither sufficient nor properly integrated to fully capture the benefits of the plant genetic resources that are conserved. In general, biotechnology work is done at universities without links with plant breeding programmes. The lack of long-term support for national breeding strategies and programmes results in a lack of effective access to germplasm and technologies, especially biotechnologies. The limitations in trained personnel, institutional weaknesses and inefficiencies, both within the plant breeding sector and in its links with seed systems, are key elements that prevent the potential contribution of plant breeding to food security and sustainable development to materialize. This leads to under developed seed systems and to poor transfer of improved germplasm to rural producers.

Raising the capacity of plant breeding at the national and regional levels requires the training of more plant breeders and the development of an integrated set of capabilities and support systems that would build and sustain effective national and regional plant breeding capacities. At the same time, the resulting increase in crop productivity and in supply, processing and distribution of agricultural commodities can make an important contribution to further improving food and nutrition security and livelihoods of small scale producers, providing a source of increased production diversification, income and employment opportunity in the entire food chain. These facts need to be taken into account by governments and development organizations in formulating development strategies.
 
There is no comprehensive and multi-component global partnership initiative in plant breeding capacity building currently in place that can facilitate the necessary training and also provide the essential career support to trainees to ensure sustainability. Further, there is a need for a capacity building initiative that is large enough to generate a critical mass of plant breeders and technicians who can network and enhance sustainability. In fact, the different institutional service providers and donors internationally have never come together in partnership at the scale now called for to address the future strategic needs of global food security and poverty alleviation.

These elements are considered to be essential for sustainability of plant breeding programmes in developing countries, and they represent the unique features of the GIPB which distinguishes the Initiative from other efforts, past and present.

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