Global Pollinator Platform Aims to Protect Crops
A proposed global platform would coordinate pollinator conservation, which supports roughly 75 percent of major food crops, with no timeline yet set.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Botany
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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations opened the first Global Pollinator Conference at its Rome headquarters, running through 6 November. FAO Members gave a mandate to work toward establishing a Global Pollinator Platform; the Platform is proposed, not yet established.
Why it matters
Roughly 75 percent of the world's most important food crops rely on pollination, and pollinators face habitat loss, climate pressure, invasive species, diseases, and unsustainable farming. A proposed global platform would aim to connect existing initiatives and reinforce action at the national level.
The headline figure is that about 75 percent of the world's most important food crops depend on pollination. The source provides no comparator or measured trend for pollinator populations, so the figure describes dependence rather than a measured decline.
The players
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
The UN agency that works on food security, agriculture, and sustainable food systems, and hosted the conference at its Rome headquarters.
QU Dongyu
FAO Director-General who gave the opening speech at the conference.
Nataša Pirc Musar
President of Slovenia, who gave a video message at the opening session, with Slovenia recognized for pollinator conservation leadership.
Astrid Schomaker
Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, who gave a video message at the opening session.
The details
The conference opened with remarks from FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and video messages from Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar and Convention on Biological Diversity Executive Secretary Astrid Schomaker. The proposed Platform would connect existing initiatives, support knowledge exchange and innovation, and strengthen national-level action. Discussions are expected to cover locally led conservation and the role of Indigenous Peoples, farmers, women, and youth.
Timeline
The conference opened at FAO headquarters in Rome on 6 November 2026.
The conference runs through 6 November.
The Tech Race
The conference sits within the Convention on Biological Diversity's broader biodiversity agenda, with Executive Secretary Astrid Schomaker participating. The source gives no competing program or measured milestone, so the proposed Global Pollinator Platform is best read as an early coordinating step rather than a settled field-level result.
The Platform is only proposed, so no direct change for farmers or consumers is announced yet. Pollinator conservation discussions at the conference may shape national policies, but the source gives no timeline for those effects.
The takeaway
Watch whether FAO Members formally establish the Global Pollinator Platform and what funding governments and partners commit to it. Any announced resources or a formal establishment decision would mark the next verifiable milestone.
Further reading
For broader context on how plants depend on animal partners, see Botany coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Farming.
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Should governments spend more public money protecting pollinators like bees?
