The conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity is a global task that requires joint efforts worldwide. The Federal Government has therefore acceded to important international agreements on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, including genetic resources for food and agriculture. The IBV of the BLE supports the BMEL in international cooperation on these topics.

Important partners of international cooperation and binding international agreements in conservation, sustainable use and international exchange of biological diversity in food and agriculture are

•    the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and in particular the Commission on Genetic Resources
      for Food and Agriculture and the Committee for Fisheries
•    the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Agriculture and Food
•    (International Seed Treaty, read more)
•    the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, read more) and its Nagoya Protocol
•    the World Trust Fund for Crop Diversity (Crop Trust)
•    the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO)
•    the World Biodiversity Council (IPBES, read more)
•    the EU Commission with responsibilities in the fields of agriculture, rural development, consumer
      protection and environment, among others
•    European cooperation programmes for genetic resources (read more)

IVB provides European and international information systems with current national data, e.g.

•    the FAO - World Information and Early Warning System on Plant Genetic Resources (WIEWS)
•    the FAO - Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS)
•    the European Catalogue of Plant Genetic Resources of the European Cooperation Programme on
      Plant Genetic Resources (EURISCO)

On behalf of the BMEL, the IBV fulfils representative functions in international bodies, e.g. as national coordinator of the European Cooperation Programme for Plant Genetic Resources, as National Contact Point for Animal Genetic Resources etc.
IBV is involved in the monitoring and development of indicators at national, EU and global level and supports the assessment of the status and change of agrobiodiversity at all levels.