Highlights and images for 24 November 2025

An Indigenous Peruvian blessing ceremony kicked off the 11th session of the Governing Body (GB 11) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) in Lima, Peru. Drawing attention to the thousands of native potato varieties of the country, Indigenous stewards highlighted their multiple values for agrobiodiversity conservation and livelihoods, as well as cultures and knowledge systems. The potato serves also as a symbol of the global interdependence on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Originating in the Andes, it has travelled around the globe, attracting significant breeding efforts and becoming a staple in cuisines all over the world.

Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.

Opening statements highlighted the values of crop diversity and global interdependence, underlining the central role of ITPGRFA in the policy architecture aimed toward sustainable agriculture and global food security. Regional statements focused on the main agenda items under consideration, including: the draft package of measures to enhance the functioning of the Treaty’s Multilateral System (MLS) of access and benefit-sharing; farmers’ rights; the Global Information System; and the Funding Strategy.

Carmen Inés Vegas Guerrero, Vice Minister of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, Peru, stressed the opportunity to bring together science, innovation, and traditional knowledge for global food security. Christian Hofer, Director, Federal Office for Agriculture, Switzerland, urged concluding the negotiations on the enhancement of the MLS, stressing that a coherent and balanced package of measures is within reach.

Stressing that “multilateral cooperation can turn our shared heritage into shared progress,” Godfrey Magwenzi, Deputy Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), highlighted the untapped potential of a wide range of crops for food security and nutrition and called for forward-looking decisions on the enhancement of the MLS.

Underlining differing views on the enhancement of the MLS, ITPGRFA Secretary Kent Nnadozie called this moment “a generational opportunity” to set the Treaty on a renewed course and build a more balanced and predictable system. Following the opening ceremony, delegates adopted the session’s agenda and timetable, addressed organizational matters, and established a budget committee. Deliberations then focused on items related to the implementation and operations of the MLS.

An evening plenary initiated deliberations on the enhancement of the MLS. Parties reiterated their long-standing positions on the main items, including the payment structure under the draft revised standard material transfer agreement, expansion of the list of crops in Annex I, and digital sequence information / genetic sequence data. Negotiations on the item continued in a contact group.