Delegates made progress towards enhancing the Multilateral System that provides facilitated access to a list of crops considered vital for food security, with the aim to increase benefit-sharing flows to the stewards of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, which are primarily farmers in developing countries.

At COP 28, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) will address two of humanity’s most urgent challenges—climate change and food security.

FAO’s programme of events at COP 28 includes discussions on the intersection of agriculture and loss and damage, and adaptation solutions for agrifood systems, as well as the climate finance gap these face.

Collaboration between the Treaty and relevant international instruments and organizations came into the spotlight as the Governing Body worked through its agenda, including enhancing the Treaty’s Multilateral System of access and benefit-sharing, farmers’ rights, and the impact of technological developments, including digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources.