Rome, Italy
10 March 2026
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of its role in safeguarding the world’s crop diversity and strengthening the foundations of global food security. The nomination also acknowledges the organizations supporting this global effort: NordGen, FAO, Crop Trust and CGIAR.
In his nomination of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault for the Nobel Peace Prize, Norwegian Member of the Parliament, Geir Pollestad, pointed out that “food security is a fundamental prerequisite for peace.”
Located in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, Norway, the Global Seed Vault conserves duplicate seed samples from genebanks around the world. Often described as the world’s ultimate safety backup for crop diversity, the facility protects vital plant genetic resources that can be used to restore collections in the event of natural disasters, conflicts or other crises.
“This Peace Prize nomination highlights how international cooperation to protect the diversity of the world’s crops contributes not only to sustainable agriculture, but also to stability and peace,” said Secretary Kent Nnadozie of the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. “Food security and peace are deeply interconnected. Ensuring access to diverse and resilient crops strengthens countries’ ability to feed their populations and adapt to future challenges. By protecting crop genetic diversity, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and FAO’s International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources help ensure that countries have the resources they need to adapt, recover and continue feeding their people.”
The International Treaty plays a central role in enabling the global cooperation that underpins the Global Seed Vault. It provides the international legal framework for the conservation, sustainable use and exchange of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), creating the policy foundation that allows countries and institutions to safeguard crop diversity collectively and as a shared resource for humanity.
“The Global Seed Vault stands as a powerful symbol of international solidarity,” Secretary Nnadozie said. “The International Treaty provides the legal and cooperative framework that enables countries to share and protect the seeds that underpin our food systems.”
The Treaty’s Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing (MLS), the largest global exchange mechanism for PGRFA, facilitates the sharing of crop diversity among countries, researchers and plant breeders worldwide. This system helps ensure that the diversity needed to adapt crops to changing climates and growing food demands remains accessible.
As climate, biodiversity loss and geopolitical conflicts increasingly threaten food systems, safeguarding crop diversity is essential for resilience and preparedness. Diverse plant genetic resources enable farmers and scientists to develop crops that can withstand new pests, diseases and environmental conditions.
Together, the Global Seed Vault and the FAO International Treaty reflect a shared global commitment to safeguarding the biological foundation of food systems and ensuring that crop diversity remains available for present and future generations.
@PlantTreaty
#ItAllStartsWithTheSeed #FoodSecurity #NobelPeacePrize
Topics
Species
