Food and Agriculture Organization opens the first Global Pollinator Conference at Rome
5 November 2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization has opened the first Global Pollinator Conference at its headquarters in Rome, with sittings running to 6 November. Director-General QU Dongyu opened the meeting and asked for concrete actions that show results in the fields rather than further declarations. The organisation points out that about 75 per cent of the world's most important food crops depend on pollination, which ties bees, butterflies, birds and bats directly to food security. Delegates are working towards a proposed Global Pollinator Platform, for which FAO members have given a mandate through the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. FAO also supports the International Pollinator Initiative, which sits under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Slovenia was singled out for its lead in pollinator conservation, and its President Natasa Pirc Musar sent a video message to the opening, as did Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The wildlife filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory also spoke.
In plain words
Pollination Transfer of pollen that lets plants set seed and fruit — Carried out largely by insects, birds and bats, so losing them lowers crop yields.
CBD Convention on Biological Diversity — The treaty on conserving biological diversity, under which the International Pollinator Initiative sits.