International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture


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Recipients of the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation dedicate the prize to safeguarding vulnerable crop collections through the Emergency Reserve for Genebank Collections at Risk, jointly administered by FAO’s International Treaty and the Crop Trust.


Ukraine’s accession strengthens global efforts to conserve and share the plant genetic resources that sustain food security worldwide

 

The International Treaty, an insurance policy for the plants that feed the world

The objectives of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture are the conservation and sustainable use of all plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use, in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity, for sustainable agriculture and food security.   

Themes

Upcoming meetings

15/3

2027

16/3

2027

Rome (Italy), 15/03/2027 - 16/03/2027

Dates to be confirmed.

News

26/10/2026
At a time when governments are debating how to strengthen benefit-sharing arising from genetic resources, a new global report launched at the Seventeenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture shows how countries cooperate to share crop diversity and its benefits, and what lessons this experience offers for implementing global biodiversity commitments.
22/10/2026
The Government of the Kingdom of Norway, the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen) and the Crop Trust, work in partnership to jointly manage and operate the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. 
16/10/2026
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) are advancing a new phase of their cooperation through the development of a joint study on the conservation and sustainable use of grapevine genetic resources.

Videos

GB-11 Begins in Peru: Video Montage from the First Two Days
29/11/2025

The Governing Body of the International Plant Treaty convenes in Lima, Peru for its Eleventh Session (GB-11), first time in Latin America & first...

Cultivating a Shared Future
29/11/2025

This video highlights how the International Plant Treaty helps foster biodiversity and food security, preserve heritage and cultivate a shared future....

02/05/2022

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is an international agreement between Contracting Parties (member countries and the European Union) to conserve, use and manage plant genetic resources for food and agriculture around the world. The “Treaty Talks” podcas...