G/SPS/GEN/1787  
 
12 June 2020 
(20-4180) Page: 1/6 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
 
REPORT OF INTERNATIO NAL PLANT PROTECTION  
CONVENTION (IPPC)  
COMMUNICATION FROM T HE IPPC SECRETARIAT  
The followi ng communication, received on 11 June 202 0, is being circulated at the request of the 
International Plant Protection Convention secretariat  (IPPC).1 
 
_______________  
 
 
1  INTERNATIONAL YEAR O F PLANT HEALTH 2020  
1.1.  The United Nations has declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). Despite 
the COVID -19 pandemic affecting some activities, contracting parties t o the IPPC, regional plant 
protection organizations, partner organizations and the IPPC secretariat are continuing the IYPH 
implementation to raise awareness of the importance of plant health to ensure food security, to 
protect the environment and to facil itate safe trade. WTO Members are encouraged to join the IPPC 
Community to help raise the global awareness of the importance of plant health. Please visit the 
IYPH webpage2 to find out more on the many activities and how you can participate.  
1.2.  New dates for the IYPH flagship event, the  International Plant Health Conference  to be 
held in Helsinki, Finland have been set for 28 June to 1 July 2021.  
1.3.  As a key legacy for the IYPH, the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Zambia  has 
put forward a proposal for the establishment of an International Day of Plant Health . 
The proposal will be discussed at the upcoming session of the FAO Committee on Agr iculture 
(COAG).3. The CPM Bureau , following the recommendation of the IYPH ISC , has approved May 12 as 
the Day for global commemoration of plant health.  
2  THE COMMISSION ON PH YTOSANITARY MEASURES , SUBSIDIARY BODIES AND GROUPS  
2.1.  Due to the global COVID -19 pan demic, the fifteenth meeting of the Commission on 
Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) and its Ministerial segment have been postponed until further notice. 
Most CPM -15 (2020) papers have been posted on the IPP4 and new dates will be communicated 
soon.  
 
1 The original document was prepared for the March 2020 SPS Committee meeting , but as this SPS 
meeting was cancelled, this report was not released. This report has been updated to include all activities from 
November 2019 to June 2020.  
2 IYPH website: http://www.fao.org/plant -health -2020. 
3 COAG website: http://www.fao.org/coag/en/ . 
4 CPM-15 (2020) papers: http://www.ippc.int/en/cpm -sessions/cpm -15-2020/ . G/SPS/GEN/1787  
 
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  2.2.  The Standar ds Committee (SC), met in November 2019 and reviewed the following four draft 
International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs):  
1) 2018 draft amendments to ISPM 5 ( Glossary of phytosanitary terms ) 
2) Revision of ISPM 8 ( Determination of pest status in an area ) 
3) Requirements for the use of modified atmosphere treatments as a phytosanitary measure  
4) Requirements for NPPOs if authorizing entities to perform phytosanitary actions  
2.3.  The SC recommended the first three ISPMs for adoption, however, they n oted concerns from 
some regions regarding the draft ISPM dealing with the concept of authorizing entities to perform 
phytosanitary actions. The SC could not reach consensus to recommend the draft ISPM for adoption 
at this stage, however, they revised the d raft ISPM based on consultation , comments and requested 
guidance from the CPM -15 (2020) on how to proceed. They also proposed a CPM -15 (2020) side 
session to be organized to facilitate further discussion on this subject.  
2.4.  After looking at the recommendation s and proposed governance process concerning 
commodity standards, the SC agreed that a Technical Panel should be established to coordinate the 
development of individual standards for commodities (annexes to the concept standard).  The draft 
ISPM on the concept of commodity -based standards for phytosanitary measures was revised and 
will be presented to CPM -15 (2020) for consideration.  
2.5.  With CPM -15 in 2020 being cancelled due to COVID -19, these draft ISPM s have not been 
adopted and will b e forwarded to the next meeting of the CPM. Also, guidance from the CPM on the 
other issues is still pending.  
2.6.  The SC could not meet in May 2020 but continued working electronically (e -decisions and OCS). 
Thus, the following three draft standards were appro ved for first consultation starting from 1 July to 
30 September 2020:  
1) 2020 draft amendments to ISPM 5 (Glossary of phytosanitary terms)  
2) Draft ISPM on the Focused revision of ISPM 12 (Phytosanitary certificates) in relation to 
re-export  
3) Draft ISPM on Audi t in the phytosanitary context  
2.1  Calls for experts in the establishment of pest free areas  
2.7.  Two calls were issued to solicit nominees to participate in the Expert Working Group to revise 
ISPM 4 on Requirements for the establishment of pest free areas (2009 -002) and to participate in 
the Expert working group (EWG) on the use of specific import authorizations (2008 -006). The  SC will 
review nominations and form EWGs, respectively.  
2.8.  Reports of the SC meetings are posted on the IPP .5 
2.9.  The Implementation and Capacity  Development Committee (IC) met in November 2019 and 
reviewed the work of its two Sub -groups: The Sea Containers Task Force (SCTF) and 
Implementation, Review and Support System (IRSS). Details on the activities of the SCTF are 
presented below.  
 
5 SC meeting reports: https://www.ippc.int/en/core -activities/standards -setting/sta ndards -committee/ . G/SPS/GEN/1787  
 
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  2.10.   Under the IRSS ,6 three new topics for studies were added and the secretariat has conducted 
a survey of the use of pest free areas, drafted a study on the use of accreditation of entities to 
perform phytosanitary action, as well as a comparative analysis of the d ata gathered in the first and 
second IPPC General Surveys.  
2.11.   The list of Implementation and Capacity Development (ICD) topics for new guides and training 
materials was reviewed by the IC. The IC agreed that the development of the following three IPPC 
guides  from the List of ICD Topics7 should be initiated as a top priority and this was supported by 
the CPM Bureau:  
1) Plant Pest Surveillance Guide, revision (2017 -049) 
2) e-Commerce Guide (2017 -039) 
3) ISPM 15 Guide (2012 -015, 2017 -043, 2018 -12) 
2.12.   The IPPC Guide on Pest Status has progressed and was to be published after the revision of 
ISPM 8 (Determination of pest status in an area) was adopted by CPM, however with the cancellation 
of CPM -15 it is uncertain when this guide will be published.  
2.13.   All IPPC Guides are posted o n the IPP8 and the IPPC secretariat is currently constructing web 
pages related to the various components of a phytosanitary system. These "component " pages will 
bring together relevant standards, guides and contributed resources on a given  subject and are 
intended to assist NPPOs in the implementation of the provisions of the Convention, relevant ISPMs 
and CPM recommendations.  
2.14.   The IC reviewed various phytosanitary Implementation and Capacity Development projects, 
those managed by the secretariat and those delivered by partner organizations. Summaries of the 
outcomes of these projects with highlights of their outcomes are posted  on the IPP .9 
2.15.   The May 202 0 IC meeting was cancelled due to COVID -19. The IC has now set up a series of 
nine virtual meetings. The IC members and observers were trained on how to use the various virtual 
tools, newly appointed members were provided with an orientation. So far the IC  has met virtual ly 
twice, the first the IC received general updates on ICD activities and work of other bodies and the 
second discussed how to develop implementation and communication plans for guides. The IC 
intends to meet every two weeks to progress the  work in this area, information on these meetings 
is posted on the IPP calendar .10  
2.2  Implementation and Capacity development (ICD) Calls  
2.16.   Since November 2019, the IPPC secretariat has issued (9) nine calls related to Implementation 
and Capacity development ( ICD) issues. Some calls were related to submission of case studies for 
pest status determination, plant pest surveillance and Systems Approach and market negotiation on 
plant pest risk. To renew the IC Membership, a call was issue d for nominations of Regio nal 
representatives and Experts to be member of this Committee. The other calls posted were requesting 
stakeholders to share technical resources and expertise.  
2.17.   The majority of these calls are closed however , the following three remain open : 
4) Call for expert s to develop e -learning materials  on "Pest Risk Analysis " 
5) Call for experts to develop e -learning materials on "Phytosanitary export certification 
system " 
6) Call for  phytosanitary technical resources related to e -Commerce, PRA and Pest Outbreak 
Alert and Resp onse Systems that may be shared with the IPPC community.  
 
6 IRSS webpage: https://www.ippc.int/en/core -activities/implementation -review -and-support -system/ . 
7 List of ICD Topics: https://www.ippc.int/en/publications/86844/ . 
8 IPPC Guides and training material: https://www.ippc.int/en/core -activities/capacity -
development/guides -and-training -materials/ . 
9 ICD projects: https://www.ippc.int/en/core -activities/capacity -development/projects -on-
implementation -and-capacity -development/ . 
10 IPP calendar: https://www.ippc.int/en/year/calendar/ . G/SPS/GEN/1787  
 
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  2.18.   The list of all calls issued by the IPPC secretariat is available  on the IPP .11 
2.19.   Reports of the IC meetings are posted on the IPP .12 
3  REALIGNMENT OF IMPLE MENTATION AND CAPACI TY DEVELOPMENT (ICD)  ACTIVITIES  
3.1.  The Implementation and Facilitation Unit (IFU) of the IPPC secretariat has been considering 
how to realign the work of the unit to deliver implementation and capacity development (ICD)  
activities in the new reality of COVID -19. With all staff teleworking, the IFU has been meeting daily 
via zoom and using other tools. With all the travel restrictions, new and innovat ive ways to deliver 
ICD activities other tha n through physical meetings are being explored.   
3.2.  One of the main approaches being taken is to do a deep dive and analyze stakeholder 's needs 
(mainly the needs of developing country NPPOs) and then consider how to redesign activities to 
better address their needs in a more eff icient a nd sustainable way. As in-house  design expertise is 
currently not available, ways are being explored with donors on how to get some assistance, 
including hiring an outside company and partnering with others who also deliver capacity 
development training, n amely COLEACP and the FAO eLearning Academy. This initiative is hoped to 
have a long -term impact and the results will be shared with the SPS community.  
4  PHYTOSANITARY CAPACI TY EVALUATIONS  
4.1.  The IPPC secretariat has continued to facilitate the application of P hytosanitary Capacity 
Evaluation (PCE) in Nicaragua and Sri Lanka. Implementing a PCE aims at revising the phytosanitary 
legislation or regulation if the country wishes and helps them develop a national phytosanitary 
capacity development strategy. Such a n ational phytosanitary capacity development strategy 
addresses gaps in the phytosanitary system of the country and positions them well for taking 
advantage of funding opportunities at the national and/or international level as it helps international 
organiz ations and donors understand countries needs and focus resources on the identified priorities. 
The PCE in Nicaragua has been completed and the phytosanitary law had been revised a few weeks 
only after this completion, more information is available in the d edicated news13. With travel 
restrictions, work on this area has been put on hold.  
5  MONITORING AND EVALU ATION  
5.1.  The IPPC secretariat has started investigating how best to monitor and evaluate some of the 
activities of the IPPC Community. A Theory of Change (TOC) was developed to understand how the 
IPPC Community contributes towards the objectives and the development agendas l aid out in the 
IPPC Strategic Framework (SF) 2020 -2030 (pending adoption by the CPM), objectives of FAO and 
the UN SDGs. With limited resources, the IPPC secretariat will first focus on monitoring the 
implementation of the eight development agendas in the SF.  
5.2.  The IPPC secretariat commissioned Wageningen University and Research to conduct a  literature 
review and interviews with SPS organizations , this report entitled: Evidence on effects of plant pests 
on IPPC strategic objectives and monitoring and evaluat ion mechanisms by the SPS community  will 
be posted on the IPP14 and may be of interest to WTO M embers.  
 
11 Calls issued by the IPPC Secre tariat: http://www.ippc.int/en/calls/ . 
12 IC meeting reports:  https://www.ippc.int/en/core -activiti es/capacity -development/capacity -
development -committee/ . 
13 Implementing the IPPC Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation helped Nicaragua approve their revised 
phytosanitary law in record time .  
https://www.ippc.int/en/news/implementing -the-ippc-phytosanitary -capacity -evaluation -helps -
nicaragua -approve -their-revised -phytosanitary -law-in-record -time/ . 
14 Evidence on effects of plant pests on IPPC strategic objectives and monitoring and evaluation 
mechanisms by the SPS community : https://www.ippc.int/en/core -activities/governance/ippc -secretariat -
evaluations/ . G/SPS/GEN/1787  
 
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  6  PROMOTING TRADE FACILI TATION  
6.1  ePhyto  
6.1.  The IPPC secretariat 's ePhyto Hub is fully operational.  Eighty -eight (88) countries are currently 
registered to the IPPC ePhyto Solution, and twenty -six (26) are registered with the Generic ePhyto 
National System (GeNS) with more NPPOs joining every month. To date, forty -two (42) countries 
are actively exchanging phytosanitary certificates through the IPPC secretariat 's ePhyto Hub using 
both national systems and the GeNS. Of key significance, Argentina and Chile are now completely 
paperless in their exchange of phytosanitary certificates; all exchanges are done through the 
IPPC ePhyto Solution. In addit ion, online video training on the GeNS system is now available at 
www.ephytoexchange.org , and a number of video training sessions have been conducted on the 
GeNS system. At present, the system is handling appro ximately 12,000 certificates per month 
effortlessly, with the capacity to handle (in the current configuration) up to 100,000 certificates 
per day. 
6.2.  The system was built with initial resources provided by the Standards and Trade Development 
Facility specifi cally to facilitate the digital exchange of certificates, initially phytosanitary certificates, 
but any certificate once coded in XML can be exchanged. The IPPC secretariat has discussed the 
potential use of the HUB for the exchange of CITES and wine indus try certificates, and is ready and 
willing to work with any organization, including our SPS "Sisters " (Codex and the OIE) interested in 
making use of the ePhyto Solution to facilitate the exchange of any other certificates.  
6.2  e-Commerce  
6.3.  The IPPC secretariat has initiated work on the e -Commerce programme. An informal network 
of experts has been launched to support this work and enhance information exchange on the 
phytosanitary risks posed by e -Commerce. The IPPC secretariat continues to collaborate with the 
World Custom Organization (WCO) and is working to liaise more with other relevant organizations 
such as the United Postal Union, e -Commerce vendors and the WTO. More recently representatives 
from OIE and Codex have joined this network.  Consultatio n on the Draft outline of e -Commerce 
Guide for plants, plant products and other regulated articles opened on 5 May 2020 and will close 
on 5 July 2020.  
6.3  Sea Containers Task Force  
6.4.  An IPPC best practice guide on measures to minimize pest contamination and asso ciated leaflet 
that identifies the key parties involved in the international container supply chains, and describes 
their roles and responsibilities for minimizing visible pest contamination of sea containers and their 
cargos has been developed under the a uspices of the IPPC secretariat and is now available on the 
page of the International Phytosanitary Portal dedicated to the IPPC Guides and Training materials.  
6.5.  The Sea Container Task Force (SCTF) has been initially established for a period of five years 
and was supposed to provide the IPPC Implementation and Capacity Development Committee (IC) 
and the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) with the recommendations on ways forward 
to minimize pest risks associated with the movement of sea containers in 2 021. However due to the 
COVID -19 developments and suspension of a series of activities in the IPPC community and in 
concerned collaborative international organizations, it is expected the mandate of the SCTF might 
be extended for an additional year (to 202 2). 
7  STRENGTHENING COMMUN ICATION AND ADVOCACY  
7.1  Scaling up IPPC Secretariat communications  
7.1.  In 2020, the IPPC secretariat worked closely with FAO 's Office for Corporate Communication to 
increase the quality and outreach of its communications. These efforts res ulted in an increased media 
outreach, increased user 's interactions on social media and a number of new publications meeting 
FAO standards which are posted on the IPP .15 
 
15 IPPC publications page: https://www.ippc.int/en/publications/ . G/SPS/GEN/1787  
 
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  7.2.  The IPPC secretariat concluded events related to the 2019 IPPC annual theme on "Plant Health 
and Capacity Development " by organizing a thematic seminar during its Strategic Planning Group 
meeting in October 2019. All presentations are available on the IPP .16  
8  THE YEAR AHEAD  
8.1.  The year 2020 will be an extremely important year for the IPPC Commu nity as the whole world 
marks the International Year of Plant Health. Although off to a bit of a shaky start with the 
postponement of CPM -15 (2020) due to the COVID -19 outbreak in Italy, it is hoped to gain 
momentum with the various activities planned to p romote plant health including a flagship 
conference that is being planned to take place in Finland in October 2020 entitled the 
First International Plant Health Conference: "Protecting Plant Health in a changing world". A webpage 
for this conference17 is hosted under the IYPH webpage .18 
8.2.  The IPPC secretariat would like to take this opportunity to express its sincere gratitude to the 
WTO-SPS Secretariat for the strong support and close cooperation.  
 
__________  
 
16 The IPPC Seminar on Plant Health and Capacity Development: an excellent opportunity to strengthen 
collaboration with the STDF: https://www.ippc.int/en/news/the -ippc-seminar -on-plant-health -and-capacity -
development -an-excellent -opportunity -to-strengthen -collaboration -with-the-stdf/. 
17 Webpage for the First International Plant Health Conference: Protecting Plant Health in a changing 
world": http://www.fao.org/plant -health -2020/events/events -detail/en/c/1250609/ . 
18 IYPH webpage: http://www.fao.org/plant -health -2020.