The conference of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) in Dresden in May 2000 was under the banner of strengthening partnerships in research and development (R&D). Suggestions for various ¿Global Partnership Programmes¿ (GPPs) were discussed in Dresden under four priority themes: 1) Genetic Resource Management and Biotechnology; 2) Natural Resource Management and Agroecology; 3) Commodity Chains / Underutilised Crops; and 4) Policy Management and Institutional Development. NGOs were most involved in trying to develop partnerships with other stakeholders in R&D around the second theme