22/11/2023

Rome, November 20, 2023 – On the first day of the Tenth Session of the Governing Body (GB-10) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Secretary Kent Nnadozie opened the special exhibition “Follow the Seeds,” which showcases initiatives in plant genetic resources management, featuring examples from projects supported by the International Treaty's Benefit-sharing Fund.

In his opening remarks, Secretary Nnadozie welcomed attendees to Rome and emphasized the significance of the exhibition: "The stories in this exhibition showcase how seeds are leveraged for solutions and the importance of seeds to peoples’ food and nutrition security and livelihoods.” 

The exhibit serves as a platform to amplify the impact of these and other projects on livelihoods and local value chains, adapting to climate change, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Secretary Nnadozie  reflected on the special year it has been for the Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF), recalling the launch of the fifth cycle of projects: “This cycle promises to be very exciting, following for the first time the new programmatic approach and a strong emphasis on sharing knowledge and innovations between projects.”

“I take this opportunity to thank our donors, including the European Union, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, the Indian seed sector, SEMAE and others for making this possible," said Secretary Nnadozie, as he highlighted the achievements of the BSF,

“The European Union is a Contracting Party and a longstanding partner of the International Treaty and we are proud of the EUs contributions to the Fund,” said Blaga Popova, of the European Union “With the recent global developments in biodiversity, we acknowledge the potential that the International Treaty has to make a significant contribution to the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework," she said, emphasizing the EU’s commitment to biodiversity and to the International Treaty.

Other addresses came from Birte Komolong of Papua New Guinea and César Tapia of Ecuador, both of whom are involved in implementing BSF projects that are featured in the exhibit’s photos and video, among others.

This exhibition stands as a testament to the collaborative efforts driving innovation in plant genetic resources management, and is part of the larger “Journey of Seeds” exhibit on display during GB-10.

@PlantTreaty

#GB10 #SafeguardingOurFuture #SeedsToSolutions #seeds #BenefitSharing 

#ItAllStartsWithTheSeed