Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway
26 February 2026
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture marked two historic milestones this week in the Arctic: new deposits at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and the first-ever deposit of official International Treaty materials in the Arctic World Archive (AWA). Together, these actions safeguard not only the seeds that feed the world, but also the knowledge, legal texts and lived stories that sustain their use.
Located 1 000 kilometers from the North Pole, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault serves as the world’s backup facility for crop diversity. A few kilometers away, the AWA stores digital records on long‑lasting archival film deep within a former coal mine.
“This week’s deposits reaffirm our shared responsibility to safeguard crop diversity, the knowledge it carries, and the international cooperation that makes this possible. By securing seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and preserving the records and agreements that guide their stewardship in the Arctic World Archive, we are investing in humanity’s capacity to adapt, innovate and respond to climate change and future challenges,’’ said Kent Nnadozie, Secretary of the International Treaty.
These two milestones highlight diverse partnerships and contributions from around the world.
Historic deposit of olive accessions at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
This year’s deposit ceremony marked the first safeguarding of olive genetic resources at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, marking a major advance in global olive conservation. The initiative highlights the strengthened collaboration between the International Treaty and the International Olive Council (IOC), following the 2024–2025 agreements that brought two of the world’s largest olive collections under the International Treaty access and benefit-sharing system. As part of this milestone, the IOC deposited 5 000 seeds from 59 accessions, including both cultivated varieties and wild oleasters.
“The International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives establishes, as one of its core objectives, the identification, preservation and sustainable management of olive genetic resources. The deposit of olive seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault represents a historic step in integrating the olive tree into the International Treaty’s Multilateral System, thereby reinforcing long-term global food security and safeguarding biodiversity for future generations.” said Jaime Lillo, IOC Executive Director .
The deposit originated from the European H2020 GEN4OLIVE project, made possible through cooperation among Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, the University of Córdoba, the University of Granada, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA) and the Centre for Plant Genetic Resources (CRF). This collective effort comes at a critical time, as olive diversity remains central to Mediterranean food systems, rural livelihoods, and climate resilience.
A culinary voice for biodiversity
The event also featured contributions from prominent cultural figures. UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity and internationally renowned three Michelin star Chef Mauro Colagreco took part in the ceremony, highlighting the connection between crop diversity, cultural heritage and food systems.
Together with representatives of the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) - Maarten van Zonneveld, Head of Genetic Resources, and Delphine Larousse, Director of Global Engagement – as well as UNESCO Senior Advisor Meriem Bouamrane, he carried onions seed boxes to the entrance of the Svalbard Vault.
"Protecting biodiversity is an absolute priority, for the Earth is a unique organism in which everything is interconnected. The collapse of life that we are experiencing threatens species, ingredients, ancestral knowledge, and cultures. What we are losing is an essential part of our identity and of the world that makes us live," said Chef Mauro Colagreco.
Chef Colagreco also symbolically donated seeds of the Pink Onion of Menton – an ancestral and endemic variety cultivated in southern France – to WorldVeg Tanzania. There, the seeds will be regenerated and duplicated to produce sufficient material for long‑term conservation, in line with the institution’s ongoing efforts to secure and diversify global vegetable genetic resources.
The seeds were entrusted to Chef Colagreco in 2019 through a regional farmers’ association, when the last guardian of this heritage variety passed them on. Once multiplied, the seeds are expected to be deposited in the Svalbard Vault.
"The action we take today is a symbolic gesture of love and responsibility, addressed to future generations. It is the expression of those who have chosen to preserve rather than erase, to transmit rather than exploit. Proof that, even on the brink of tipping, humanity has known how to sow the future. For every crisis carries within it the possibility of profound transformation, and it is to this hope that we entrust this fragment of life today," added Chef Colagreco.
From smallholder farmer fields to the Arctic
Several contributions were enabled through projects supported by the International Treaty’s Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF). Institutions participating in BSF initiatives deposited more than 200 accessions of farmer-managed varieties of pearl millet, sorghum, cowpea and groundnut from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – crops that are central to nutrition and climate resilience across the Sahel. Many of these materials were collected and analyzed under the BSF project Increasing Variety Portfolios for Greater Resilience of Sahel Communities.
Guatemala also made its first deposit at Svalbard through the national genebank at the Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología Agrícolas (ICTA). The shipment included more than 930 accessions of maize, beans, squash, amaranth and teosinte and was made possible with support from the Emergency Reserve. Part of the collection has been maintained, collected, characterized and submitted by farming communities in the Cuchumatanes region as part of a BSF-supported initiative led by the Asociación de Organizaciones de los Cuchumatanes (ASOCUCH).
“We worked hard to include a substantial number of maize and bean accessions critical to local food systems managed by smallholder farmers of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes in this historic shipment to Svalbard. We hope to continue making further deposits to safeguard our diversity,” said Sergio Alonzo, Director of ASOCUCH.
These seed deposits, along with contributions from other countries, expand the materials kept inside the world's most secure seed vault, which already safeguard 1.3 million seed samples, representing more than 6 500 plant species that are crucial for global food security.
International Treaty makes its first deposit to the Arctic World Archive
Beyond safeguarding seeds, the International Treaty also advanced an important step for its institutional memory. For the first time, it deposited official materials into the Arctic World Archive – a secure preservation facility deep within the permafrost. The deposit includes the International Treaty text in fourteen languages, along with four testimonial stories showcasing how farmers and researchers apply global cooperation: from potato conservation in Peru to millet revival in India, climate resilient cereals in Serbia and crop security in the Pacific.
“Preserving official texts, data, and knowledge underscores the importance of sustained support for the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, ensuring that this shared legacy endures for generations to come,” said Secretary Nnadozie.
Protecting seeds and knowledge for the future
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault provides the world’s most secure safety backup for crop diversity, while the Arctic World Archive protects the associated knowledge and institutional memory. Together, these deposits strengthen the International Treaty’s efforts to ensure the long‑term availability of plant genetic resources and the information needed to use them.
About the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which oversees the Multilateral System for Access and Benefit-sharing of plant genetic resources, provides the international legal framework needed for the establishment of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault by Government of Norway.
About the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault provides long-term storage for duplicates of seeds from around the world. The vault is operated by the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen) in cooperation with the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Crop Trust.
About the Arctic World Archive
The Arctic World Archive safeguards humanity’s most important digital heritage, preserving cultural, scientific, and historical records for centuries in the secure permafrost of Svalbard.
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