Rome, Italy
24 November 2023
Unanimous agreement by 150 member countries and the European Union
The Tenth Session of the Governing Body (GB-10) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture concluded this evening with an exceptional sense of global cooperation and agreement amongst the 151 Contracting Parties, despite a number of contentious issues. They charted the future work of the International Treaty, particularly for the coming biennium.
GB-10 adopted several critical decisions, such as those relating to moving forward with discussions on the possible enhancement of the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing (MLS), Farmers’ Rights (FRs), the Global Information System (GLIS), and Conservation and Sustainable Use (CSU) of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), as well as on the role of plant genetic resources (PGRFA) within the recently adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
They also made a number of other unanimous decisions, including electing Alwin Kopše of Switzerland as the Chair of the Eleventh Session of the Governing Body (GB-11); extending International Treaty Secretary Kent Nnadozie’s term through the end of 2025; and nominating the GB-11 Bureau Vice-Chairs and members[1] who will serve in this position until GB-11.
GB-10 considered and adopted all of the resolutions placed in front of them, charting a busy intersessional period with much to be accomplished before the next GB session. The decisions made during GB-10 include the parameters and timeline for finalizing the task of enhancing the MLS with the aim of boosting the sharing of benefits from the use of PGRFA, and solidifying the Treaty’s central position as a critical instrument for the conservation, sustainable use and global exchange of PGRFA, particularly the plants that feed the world, in the face of cascading global challenges.
The theme for GB-10 was “From seeds to innovative solutions, safeguarding our future: contributing to the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework for sustainable food systems.” This served to highlight the importance of crop diversity for food security, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic well-being in the face of global challenges including climate change. It also drew attention to the interlinkages between the International Treaty and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in December 2022.
“The discussions held during this session illuminated the potential of plant genetic resources to drive innovation, enhance resilience, and contribute to the realization of the goals set forth in the Global Biodiversity Framework. The seeds of innovation and collaboration have been sown, and it is our collective responsibility to nurture them into solutions that will safeguard our shared future,” said Mr Kent Nnadozie at the conclusion of the session.
This session further underscored the crucial importance of the Treaty for agricultural biodiversity conservation and global food security, and as a key instrument to fulfil Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 (zero hunger) and 15 (life on land), in addition to the implementation of the GBF. The International Treaty is one of the top 10 achievements of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and serves as a de facto flagship for plant agricultural biodiversity.
GB 10 was held at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, from 20-24 November 2023, and had approximately 500 participants, including government representatives, intergovernmental organizations, international agricultural research centers, farmers’ organizations, civil society, and the private sector.
The full report will soon be available on the International Treaty website.
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