The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture has a central role in supporting connections: between biodiversity and food security, between local and global communities, between the past and the future. Aiming to highlight our interconnected futures and the Treaty’s role in that regard, the theme of the 11th session of the Governing Body (GB 11) was “Fostering Biodiversity and Food Security: Preserving Heritage, Cultivating a Shared Future.”

GB 11 was set to address a series of items related to implementation of the Treaty and its Multilateral System (MLS) of access and benefit-sharing (ABS), the largest global exchange mechanism for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). Importantly, GB 11 was expected to finalize the negotiations aiming to enhance the functioning of the MLS. First initiated in 2013, these negotiations have focused on: revising the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) used for PGRFA exchanges and benefit-sharing; expanding the list of crops in Annex I of the Treaty; and addressing other items related to the implementation and review of the new system in a draft resolution.

The most controversial issues include: digital sequence information/genetic sequence data (DSI/GSD) on PGRFA; the expansion of Annex I; and the payment structure and rates under the revised SMTA. At its 14th meeting in July 2025, the Working Group which has been negotiating the enhancement of the MLS witnessed ongoing principled differences on practically all major issues. GB 11 addressed the outcome of its deliberations.

The session further considered items related to conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA; the Global Information System; and farmers’ rights, including a draft assessment on the state of implementation of Article 9 of the Treaty. It also addressed matters related to compliance, cooperation with other international instruments and organizations, and financial matters, including the Funding Strategy and the budget.

Gathering policy-makers, farmers, and plant breeders, GB 11 was held from 24–29 November 2025 at the Lima Convention Center in Lima, Peru. The session was preceded by regional and interregional consultations on 22 and 23 November.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) writers for this meeting were Elsa Tsioumani, Ph.D.; Mike Muzurakis; María Ovalle; Gabriella Prado; and Asterios Tsioumanis, Ph.D. The Digital Editor was Andrés Carvajal. The Editor was Pam Chasek, Ph.D.