Today's genebanks are essential to maintaining the resilience of the global agricultural system in the face of climate change, new pests and diseases, shifts in trade and dietary preferences, natural
resource limitations, and armed conflicts. The recent loss of access to the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) genebank collections in Aleppo, Syria, in the
midst of the Syrian civil war—accessions which were thankfully duplicated at sister international genebanks and at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault—demonstrates the need for continued international collaborations to safeguard these resources for the long-term.