Svalbard Global Seed Vault receives the Princess of Asturias Award

The award was presented in Oviedo, Spain, in a ceremony attended by, among others, the entire Spanish Royal Family.

"On behalf of the Norwegian Government and our partners, the Crop Trust and NordGen, I would like to thank the Princess of Asturias Foundation for this prestigious award. Together, we are responsible for the operation of the Seed Vault, and we have funded the Svalbard Global Seed Vault since its establishment nearly twenty years ago," said Nils Kristen Sandtrøen, Norway's Minister of Agriculture and Food.

"Together with more than 130 depositors from around the world, we have secured the conservation of as many as 1.4 million seed samples of our most important food crops for future generations. This award is an important recognition of the international and intergovernmental cooperation that has made this possible," the Minister said.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault was opened by the Norwegian Government in February 2008. Boxes containing seed accessions from all over the world are shipped to the facility for safe and secure long-term storage in cold, dry rock vaults. The purpose of the Seed Vault is to safeguard the extensive genetic diversity of the world's food crops. Every seed accession has the potential to benefit farmers, researchers, and plant breeders working to produce food for a growing global population.

The Princess of Asturias Awards are also presented in the categories of Arts, Communication and Humanities, Technical and Scientific Research, Social Sciences, Sports, Literature, and Concord. Other recipients this year include Lionel Messi, who received the award in the Sports category, and Patti Smith, who received the award in the Arts category.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault was established and is funded by the Norwegian State. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food operates the facility in partnership with NordGen and the Global Crop Diversity Trust, and receives guidance from an independent international advisory council established specifically for the Seed Vault.

With Norway in a leading role and based on an effective multilateral model, the Global Seed Vault brings together countries, scientific institutions, and international organisations. This collaboration serves the common goal of safeguarding the genetic foundation of food systems, as well as the knowledge accumulated by agricultural cultures around the world over thousands of years.

The Seed Vault contains more than 1.4 million samples representing thousands of varieties of crop plants that are essential to global food security. The jury chose to recognise the effective cooperation surrounding this critical strategic infrastructure, which constitutes a legacy for future generations.

The Princess of Asturias Foundation (Fundación Princesa de Asturias) is a private, non-profit institution whose principal mission is to promote and celebrate the scientific, cultural, and humanistic values that form part of humanity's universal cultural heritage.