Accession gives Ukraine access to a global crop diversity system as the country works to safeguard its seed collections and rebuild agricultural resilience.
Ukraine has deposited its instrument of accession to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), becoming the Treaty’s 156th Contracting Party.
The move strengthens Ukraine’s role in global crop diversity conservation and gives the country access to an international system for exchanging plant genetic resources used by farmers, researchers and plant breeders.
“We are delighted to welcome Ukraine to the International Treaty community and look forward to working together to conserve and exchange the vital plant genetic resources that the entire world depends on for food and farming,” said International Treaty Secretary Kent Nnadozie. “Ukraine holds plant genetic materials of global importance to crop improvement and food security for many of the world’s major food crops, such as wheat, barley, oats, legumes and forage crops, among others.”
Supporting Ukraine’s Seed Sector
The International Treaty was created in recognition that countries depend heavily on crops and plant diversity originating beyond their own borders. The exchange and use of that diversity is critical to crop improvement, food security and nutrition, especially as agriculture faces climate variability, geopolitical instability and supply chain pressures.
For Ukraine, accession comes as the country continues working to protect its agricultural genetic resources during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rebuild long-term resilience in its seed and crop production systems, according to a press release.
“Joining the International Treaty will give Ukraine access to the global system of plant genetic resources – this is critically important for breeding and restoring the agricultural sector. It will allow the creation of new varieties resistant to climate change and diseases. In the context of war and the loss of some genetic resources, this decision is an important step toward strengthening food security and the long-term resilience of the agricultural sector,” said Taras Vysotsky, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine.
Seed Samples Headed to Svalbard
To mark its accession, Ukraine plans to deposit more than 1,000 seed samples of grain and forage crops at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in October. The planned deposit will include maize, legumes, buckwheat and rye.
The deposit is part of a broader effort to secure duplicate collections of Ukraine’s crop diversity and reduce the risk of losing genetic materials that are important to both national agriculture and global breeding programs.
Access to Global Crop Diversity
By joining the Treaty, Ukraine commits to conserving, sustainably using and equitably sharing the benefits arising from the use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
As a Contracting Party, Ukraine will gain access to the Treaty’s Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing, a global genepool containing more than 2 million samples of the world’s most important crops. The system allows countries to exchange and share plant genetic resources under agreed rules.
For the seed sector, that access is significant. Farmers, researchers and plant breeders rely on plant genetic resources to develop crop varieties with improved yield, quality, disease resistance and climate resilience. The Treaty’s Global Information System also provides access to data connected to these materials.
“The Treaty’s Multilateral System has become a cornerstone of global cooperation to ensure that crop diversity remains accessible to all for plant breeding,” Secretary Nnadozie reiterated, adding that over 7 million samples of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture have been exchanged through the MLS.
Protecting Ukraine’s Genebank
Ukraine’s accession follows several years of international concern about the safety of the country’s national genebank. In 2022, after the escalation of the war, the genebank’s infrastructure was damaged and its collection was considered at risk.
Ukraine’s national genebank ranks among the world’s top 10 in terms of volume and diversity. It holds more than 154,300 samples across 2,002 plant species, including 56,900 samples of Ukrainian origin. Its collections include wheat, barley, chickpeas and sunflowers of global significance.
The threat to those materials prompted support from the international community, including FAO, the European Commission, the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources, the Global Crop Diversity Trust and NordGen.
In November 2025, a Duplicate Center was officially opened to help ensure the long-term protection of Ukraine’s plant genetic resources.
Strengthening Long-Term Resilience
Ukraine’s accession is part of the country’s Strategy for the Development of the Plant Genetic Resources System of Ukraine for 2024–2028.
The International Treaty provides the legal framework for conserving, exchanging and sustainably using plant genetic resources. For Ukraine, joining the system supports both the protection of its seed diversity and the restoration of an agricultural sector under pressure from war, climate change and disease threats.
