Dr. Shakeel Bhatti Secretary of the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

Dr. Shakeel Bhatti is presently the Secretary of the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (IT-PGRFA). Before that, he worked at the United Nations in Geneva where he was Head of the Genetic Resources, Biotechnology and Associated Traditional Knowledge Section of the World Intellectual Property Organization. Before joining WIPO, Dr. Bhatti worked on his doctorate at Duke University, USA, regarding the scope of patentable subject matter under Article 27 of the TRIPS Agreement in relation to genetic resources and biotechnological inventions. He is currently completing a second PhD on bioethics, biotechnology patenting and the right to food.

Dr. Bhatti has taught international patent law and genetic resource policy at several universities in India, Japan and Sweden, including the National Law School of India University in Bangalore, Center for Intellectual Property Rights Studies of Cochin University, Swedish Agricultural University and at other institutions. He is a member of the Expert Group on Rights to Plant Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge at the World Trade Institute and the Social Science Research Council Expert Group on Intellectual Property Rights and Cultural Flows. His articles appear in several journals and books, such as the Handbook on Plant Biotechnology, published by Wiley and Sons.