Under Article 15 of the International Treaty, international institutions holding collections of crop germplasm can sign agreements with the Governing Body, in order to make the collections available worldwide under the Multilateral System and benefit from financial and technical assistance for maintenance and improvement of the collections.

To date, 11 CGIAR Centers and 7 other international institutions and host governments have signed agreements under Article 15. The list of international collections is available here. The latest policy guidance by the Governing Body on international collections can be found here.

Information at the level of individual samples is available through the Global Information System. The latest report on germplasm availability and distribution in the Multilateral System is available here.

The role of Article 15 institutions is not limited to conserving and distributing germplasm. Many Article 15 institutions are committed to the holistic implementation of the International Treaty through collaborative activities with local, regional and international partners for training, advocacy and capacity development. Examples of such collaborative activities can be found in this document.

Article 15 agreements are not limited to CGIAR Centers holding ex-situ international collections in cold rooms. Field collections play an essential role, both in terms of conservation of unique genetic material for research and development and as a complement to in-situ conservation and production in the context of local agricultural systems. By way of example, Article 15 agreements have been signed for field collections of cocoa with the International Cocoa Genebank, coffee with the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), and coconuts with the International Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT).

Institutions holding crop germplasm and interested in partnering with the International Treaty, can contact the Secretariat at [email protected].