11th Session of the Governing Body

The 11th Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture brings together governments and stakeholders to guide the global management of crop diversity. Key topics include farmers’ rights, the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit‑Sharing, and the sustainable use of seeds to support resilient food systems and innovation worldwide.

Crop Trust activities

The Infinity - Exhibition

GB11 will showcase a special exhibition on "The Journey of a Seed." This immersive experience traces the path of crop diversity - from nature and farmers' fields to genebanks for conservation and research, to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault or CIP CryoVault for safety duplication, and back to fields as improved crop varieties. The exhibition is co-created by the CGIAR, CIP, the International Plant Treaty, NordGen and the Crop Trust.

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Side Event

From the Peruvian Andes to Svalbard Global Seed Vault – An arctic backup facility preserving the PGR’s of the world

24 November 2025 | 13:15 - 14:30

Organized by: NordGen, in partnership with the Crop Trust, the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and the International Plant Treaty

Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the world's largest backup facility for crop diversity, making it a crucial outpost for global food security. Today the Seed Vault contains more than 1,3 million seed samples of more than 6000 plant species from 131 depositors from all over the world. This side event will focus on practical information for depositors, the mission of the Seed Vault and will highlight the importance of safety back-ups of seeds, not least through a current example from Parque de la Papa in Cuzco, Peru.

Speakers: 

• Kent Nnadozie, Secretary, International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), Italy
• Alwin Kopse, Head International Affairs, Federal Office for Agriculture, Switzerland
• Sarada Krishnan, Director of Program, Crop Trust, Germany
• Svanhild-Isabelle Batta Torheim, Senior Policy Advisor, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Norway
• Åsmund Asdal, Seed Vault Coordinator, NordGen, Norway
• TBA, Parque de la Papa, Peru
• Chair: Lene Krøl Andersen, Executive Director, NordGen, Denmark

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Side Event:

Genebanks, botanical gardens and the International Plant Treaty: Relevance of the Global Crop Conservation Strategies and of the the Global Conservation Consortium for Food Plants for the implementation of the International Plant Treaty  

25 November 2025 | 13:15 - 14:30

Organized by: Crop Trust, New York Botanical Garden, Gothenburg Botanical Garden

This session will explore the relevance of the Global Crop Conservation Strategies and of the botanic garden sector for the implementation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. It will begin with an overview of activities conducted to mainstream the Global Strategies in Plant Treaty processes, presented by the Crop Trust. A case study from the International Potato Center will highlight the implementation of a key recommendation of the Global Strategy for the conservation of potato - the establishment of a cryopreservation hub. The session will feature the launch of the new Global Conservation Consortium for Food Plants, led by the New York Botanical Garden in collaboration with Botanic Gardens Conservation International and other botanic garden and genebank partners, and will include a discussion of the role of the Consortium in supporting Treaty implementation. The event will conclude with a Q&A panel featuring representatives from genebanks and botanic gardens, fostering dialogue on collaborative approaches to safeguarding plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. 

Speakers:

• Alvaro Toledo, International Plant Treaty
• Peter Giovannini, Crop Trust
• Rainer Vollmer, International Potato Center
• TBC, Botanic Garden Conservation International
• TBC, New York Botanical Garden

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Side event

Practical Guides to the Application of the Genebank Standards: Supporting best practices in genebank management 

27 November 2025 | 13:30 - 14:55

Organized by: FAO 

The ex situ conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) in genebanks is aimed at safeguarding them for use by current and future generations – both directly by end users and as materials for research and plant breeding. As genebanks ultimately contribute to sustainable crop production systems, and thus to PPA BP1 of FAO’s Strategic Programme. Therefore, they must be managed effectively in order to conserve crops and varieties under optimal conditions and making them available for use.

The Genebank Standards for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Genebank Standards), published in 2014, aimed at the harmonization of genebank operations, i.e. the storage of the accessions, their characterization and evaluation and the documentation of associated data, across genebanks and countries. The Genebank Standards guide Members in the current minimum standards and best practices for effective management of PGRFA ex situ. Addressing an identified need for guidance on stepwise activities for routine genebank operational workflows, five companion guides to the Genebank Standards have been developed.

Effective and efficient ex situ conservation of PGRFA requires that genebanks implement the minimum standards outlined in FAO’s Genebank Standards. The practical guides present the day-to-day operations necessary to achieve this goal. They constitute an important tool for implementing both the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. 

This side event will showcase the practical guides and promote their value in guiding adherence to best practices for the ex situ conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. In particular, the event will launch the two new Practical guides for the application of the Genebank Standards: Conservation of species producing non-orthodox seeds and Conservation through cryopreservation. 

Speakers: 

• Dan Leskien, Senior Liaison Officer, Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Secretariat 
• Bonnie Furman, Agricultural Officer, Plant Production and Protection Division, FAO 
• Sarada Krishnan, Director of Programs, Crop Trust
• Vania Azevedo, Genebanks Director, CGIAR 
• Alvaro Toledo, Senior Technical Officer, International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Secretariat
• Noelle Anglin, Agricultural Officer and Secretary ITWG-PGR, FAO