Towards a global pollinator platform
Rome - 350 000 species of pollinators are the invisible workforce underpinning global food security, biodiversity and rural livelihoods. Approximately 90 percent of flowering plants and 75 percent of major food crops depend, at least in part, on pollination by insects, birds and bats.
Yet, pollinator populations are declining worldwide, posing risks to agricultural productivity, ecosystem stability and human nutrition.
On the margins of the sixth meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity Subsidiary Body on Implementation (CBD SBI-6), the German Embassy in Rome convened a high-level event to discuss ways of advancing coordinated international action on pollinator conservation.
Opening remarks were delivered by H.E. Ambassador Andreas von Brandt and the event was moderated by Kaveh Zahedi, the Assistant Director-General and Director, Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Keynote speakers included Manoela Pessoa de Miranda, Secretary of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the Commission), who underscored the importance of strengthening global coordination for pollinator conservation.
Manoela Pessoa de Miranda highlighted the Commission’s work in taking an important step, at its last session, held in March 2025, and later endorsed by the FAO Conference, by triggering a process toward the establishment of a global pollinator platform.
Such a platform could help:
- Strengthen global coordination on pollinator policy
- Build capacity across countries and regions
- Improve knowledge and information sharing
- Mobilize resources for conservation and sustainable use
It would also build on existing global efforts, including the International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Pollinators under the Convention on Biological Diversity, whose implementation is also led by FAO.
The second keynote speaker of the night, Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, reiterated the strong cooperation between the CBD and FAO and highlighted the role of pollinators in achieving the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
A roundtable brought together representatives from, governments, Indigenous Peoples and private sector to share experiences and explore opportunities for enhanced collaboration.
Ahead of the first Global Pollinator Conference, to be held on 16–17 September 2026, at the FAO Headquarters, the event marked an important milestone for building momentum toward improved global coordination to protect and sustainably manage pollinators through a global pollinator platform, for safeguarding biodiversity, strengthening agrifood systems and supporting resilient livelihoods worldwide.