International Partners Launch Immersive Exhibition at GB-11 of the International Treaty’s Governing Body

Lima, Peru, 24 November 2025 – The Governments of Peru and Switzerland, together with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and leading international partners, today inaugurated a new exhibition at the Lima Convention Center.

The exhibition, “An Immersive Journey of Seeds: The Infinite Loop and Seeds of Peru,” opens alongside the Eleventh Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty (GB-11) and will run for three days, from 24 to 26 November 2025.

“As climate pressures and biodiversity loss accelerate, this exhibition highlights the importance of the International Treaty in bringing together traditional knowledge, science and policy,” said Kent Nnadozie, Secretary of the International Treaty. “This perspective is central to GB-11 discussions, where Contracting Parties are working to enhance access to plant genetic resources, secure sustainable funding, and strengthen fair benefit-sharing to support their conservation and use.”

The Infinite Loop: How farmers, genebanks and policymakers sustain crop diversity

At the heart of the exhibition is the Infinite Loop—an immersive structure that visitors can walk through, experiencing the cycle that sustains agricultural diversity. It traces the journey of seeds from farmers’ fields, where crop diversity is nurtured and traditional knowledge preserved, to genebanks and research centers, where genetic resources are conserved, studied and shared—before returning to farmers who keep this diversity alive for future generations.

This cycle is made possible by the International Treaty’s Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing, which facilitates the global exchange of plant genetic materials and ensures fair distribution of benefits arising from their use. The Multilateral System provides access to genetic resources from 64 of the world’s major food crops, representing roughly 80 percent of plant-based consumption.

“The Infinite Loop demonstrates the Multilateral System in action,” said Simon Heck, Director General of the International Potato Center (CIP). “Potatoes, for instance—native to Peru yet feeding billions worldwide—illustrate the connections between farmers’ fields and genebanks, and how international policy enables the exchange and collaboration on which agriculture everywhere depends.”

The Infinite Loop is a joint effort by the International Treaty, the International Potato Center (CIP), the CGIAR Genebanks Accelerator, the Global Crop Diversity Trust, and NordGen.

Seeds of Peru: Tasting, learning and connecting

Complementing the global lens, “Seeds of Peru” celebrates the country’s role as a centre of origin and a cradle of crop diversity. Organized by the National Institute for Agrarian Innovation (INIA), it features vibrant displays of native seeds and honours the contributions of Indigenous Peoples, smallholder farmers, women and youth. Peru’s varied landscapes—from coastal valleys to the high Andes—have given rise to thousands of crop varieties over millennia, forming an irreplaceable reservoir of genetic wealth.

‘’Hosting GB-11 gives us the opportunity to showcase the genetic richness of our crops and the communities that have preserved them for generations,’’ said Jorge Juan Ganoza Roncal, Executive President of INIA Peru.  ‘‘It is important to remember that the decisions made here will determine how traditional knowledge and scientific innovation will work together to secure food systems around the world.’’

‘’Switzerland is proud to co-host this event with Peru, a country whose agricultural heritage demonstrates what we all strive to protect," said Christian Hofer, Secretary of State of Switzerland. "As climate change intensifies, the International Treaty ensures that genetic diversity—whether from the Andes or the Alps—remains accessible to farmers everywhere who need it most."

Why GB-11 matters?

Adopted in 2001 under the auspices of FAO, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture provides the global framework for conserving, sustainably using, and equitably sharing plant genetic resources.

GB-11 addresses urgent priorities: expanding access to crop genetic resources, strengthening funding mechanisms, advancing equitable benefit-sharing, and promoting Farmers’ Rights. The outcomes of these negotiations will guide international collaboration and policy for safeguarding crop diversity in the face of mounting global challenges.

@PlantTreaty

#ItAllStartsWithTheSeed

#GB11 #Exhibition #Seeds #Peru

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is a legally binding global agreement that provides a framework for the conservation, sustainable use, and equitable sharing of benefits arising from plant genetic resources. Its objectives are to safeguard agrobiodiversity, enhance food security, and promote sustainable agriculture in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity. For more information: www.fao.org/plant-treaty

About the International Potato Center

The International Potato Center (known by its Spanish acronym CIP) is a research-for-development organization with a focus on potato, sweet potato, and Andean roots and tubers. CIP is dedicated to delivering sustainable science-based solutions to the pressing world issues of hunger, poverty, gender equity, climate change and the preservation of our Earth’s fragile biodiversity and natural resources. More at: www.cipotato.org

About the Global Crop Diversity Trust

The Crop Trust is an international organization working to conserve crop diversity and safeguard global food and nutrition security. At its core is an endowment fund dedicated to guaranteeing long-term support to key genebanks worldwide. The Crop Trust supports the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and coordinates major projects worldwide. It is recognized as an essential element of the funding strategy of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. More at www.croptrust.org 

 About the CGIAR Genebanks Accelerator

The CGIAR genebanks are custodians of the world’s most diverse publicly available crop collections. The genetic material is freely available to researchers, breeders, communities and farmers under the terms of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, helping them find their own solutions for a more resilient, sustainable agriculture. CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. More at: https://www.cgiar.org/initiative/genebanks/

About NordGen

NordGen is the Nordic countries’ joint genebank for plants and knowledge centre for genetic resources. Its task is to preserve and promote the sustainable use of genetic resources in plants, farm animals, and forestry across the Nordic Region. As the operational manager of Svalbard Global Seed Vault, NordGen is responsible for handling the seeds stored in the Seed Vault, communicating with genebanks, and maintaining the online database Seed Portal containing information about the deposited seed samples. More at: www.nordgen.org