Ukraine joins FAO Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
©FAO / Anastasiia Borodaienko
3 July 2026
Ukraine’s accession strengthens global efforts to conserve and share the plant genetic resources that sustain food security worldwide.
Ukraine has deposited its instrument of accession to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and will become the 156th Contracting Party (member) of the International Treaty.
“We are delighted to welcome Ukraine to the International Treaty community and look forward to working together to conserve and exchange the vital plant genetic resources that the entire world depends on for food and farming,” said International Treaty Secretary Kent Nnadozie. “Ukraine holds plant genetic materials of global importance to crop improvement and food security for many of the world’s major food crops, such as wheat, barley, oats, legumes and forage crops, among others.”
In 2022, Ukraine’s national genebank was in imminent danger following the escalation of the war, resulting in damage to the genebank’s infrastructure. Ranked among the top ten global genebanks in terms of volume and diversity, the genebank holds more than 154,300 samples across 2,002 plant species, including 56,900 samples of Ukrainian origin such as collections of wheat, barley, chickpeas and sunflowers of global significance. The entire collection was in danger of being lost. The international community came together, along with FAO, the European Commission, the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR), the Crop Trust and NordGen, to support efforts to safeguard Ukraine’s seed diversity.