G/SPS/GEN/1623  
 
21 June  2018 
(18-3906) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
REPORT OF THE  INTERNATIONAL PLANT PROTECTION  
CONVENTION SECRETARI AT (IPPC)  
The followi ng communication, received on 20 June  2018, is being circulated at the request of the 
International Plant Protection Convention secretariat  (IPPC).  
 
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This report provides an overview of t he main activities of the IPPC s ecretariat since the last SPS 
Committee meeting in March 2018.  
1  GOVERNANCE AND STRAT EGIES  
1.1  CPM-13 
1.1.  The 13th Session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) was held in the FAO 
headquarters, Rome, Italy on 16 -20 April 2018, with the highlights below:  
 Organized  a series of activities to showcase the 2018 IPPC annual theme "Plant Health 
and Environmental protection ", including a keynote address delivered by Dr . Cristiana 
Paşca Palmer,  Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), as 
well as a Special Topic Session and an IPPC -CBD Joint Side Event on Plant Health and 
Environmental Protection.  
 Supported  the continuous effort for development of the IPPC Strategic Fr amework for 
2020-2030, in particular by carrying out the extensive consultation among NPPOs and 
RPPOs as well as other international organizations.  
 Supported the further development of the International Year of Plant Health ( IYPH) 
initiative by agreeing the skeleton of IYPH programme events and their associated 
estimated costs, and encouraging Contracting Parties ( CPs) to provide extra -budgetary 
contributions to enable promotional activities to be done.  
 Strengthened  the cooperation between standards setting and implementation by setting 
up the process for the Call for Topics "Standards and Implementation ", and improving 
work of the Task Force on Call for Topics.  
 Adopted  five International Standards for Phytosanitary Masseurs (ISPMs),  with two 
Diagnostic Protocols (DPs) noted, as well as the fruit fly standards harmonized, 
reorganized and approved.  
 Strengthened  the work on commodity and pathway specific ISPMs by developing the 
Terms of Reference for a focus group on this issue.  
 Support ed extensive application for the IPPC ePhyto solutions, establishment of the 
ePhyto Business Model, and development of  a five-year plan for ePhyto.  
 Recognized  the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) as an 
RPPO under Article IX of the IPPC, which is the 10th RPPO of the IPPC Community.  G/SPS/GEN/1623  
 
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  1.2  CPM Subsidiary Body of Standards Committee (SC)  
1.2.  The IPPC Standards Committee (SC) met on 14 -18 May 2018 at FAO headquarters, Rome, 
Italy, with the highlights below:  
 Revised  four standards drafted by different expert groups in 2017 and approved all drafts 
for submission to the first consultation period (1 July -30 September 2018).  
 Approved  electronically six draft DPs to the DP notification period (i.e. adoption period)  
(1 July-15 August).  
1.3  CPM Subsidiary Body of Standards Committee Working Group (SC -7) 
1.3.  The Standards Committee Working Group (SC -7) was held on 21 -23 May 2018 at FAO  
headquarters,  Rome, Italy, with the highlights below:  
 Revised  two draft standards and the comments from the first consultation period 
performed in 2017.  
 Approved  two draft ISPMs for second consultation period (1 July -30 September).  
1.4  CPM Subsidiary Body of Implementation and Capacity Development Committee (IC)  
1.4.  The se cond meeting of the IPPC Implementation Capacity and Development Committee (IC) 
was held on 21 -25 May 2018 at FAO headquarters,  Rome, Italy, with the highlights below:  
 Discussed  thoroughly the governance and strategic directions of their work to ensure tha t 
the work is focused on the CPM priorities and that efficient, clear and transparent 
processes and procedures are in place.  
 Discussed  also a draft procedure manual for implementation and capacity development 
with the hope to have the first version approve d in November 2018.  
 Agreed to establish two new IC Sub -groups on Dispute Avoidance and Settlement and on 
the Implementation, Review and Support System (IRSS).  
 Recognized  the Sea Container Task Force (SCTF) as an IC Sub group.  
 Agreed the oversight mechanis m related to National Reporting Obligations.  
2  IMPLEMENTATION AND C APACITY DEVELOPMENT   
2.1  IPPC Regional Workshops for 2018  
2.1.  Seven IPPC Regional Workshops (RW ) are being organized for Africa, Asia, Latin America, 
Near East and North Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Southwest Pacific and 
the Caribbean, in collaboration with FAO regional and sub -regional offices, regional plant 
protection orga nizations and different international organizations. The RW have three main 
objectives:  
 Strengthening  capacity on how to analyze draft ISPMs and to formulate productive 
comments . 
 Building  phytosanitary capacity and raising awareness on various activities o f the IPPC 
community . 
 Exchanging  experiences and ideas at the regional level . 
2.2  IPPC Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE)  
2.2.  The IPPC secretariat continues supporting contracting parties ' capacity development through 
the application of the Phytosanitary Capa city Evaluation (PCE) tool in three countries (Tunisia, 
Uzbekistan and Nicaragua) through different projects to develop national capacity development G/SPS/GEN/1623  
 
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  strategies and action plans and review phytosanitary legislation in place in accordance with the 
project g oals.   
2.3  IPPC Guides on Pest Free Area and Risk Communication  
2.3.  The IPPC secretariat continues working on the production of guides on Pest Free Areas and 
Pest Risk Communication with the involvement of phytosanitary experts from several FAO regions. 
The deve lopment of these technical resources is driven by gaps identified through the IPPC IRSS 
General Surveys of 2012 -2013 and 2016, as well as the IPPC Framework for Standards and 
Implementation. They should be ready by the end of 2018.  
2.4  IPPC National Reporting  Obligations (NRO) Year: Regulated Pests Lists  
2.4.  The focus of NRO activities by IPPC contracting parties in 2018 will be on creating, posting 
and updating regulated pests lists by NPPOs and IPPC Contact Points through the NRO Year of 
Regulated pest lists sta rting in Apri l 2018. Activities of the IPPC s ecretariat will include: a 
distribution of the NRO newsletter (NROs UPDATE); one NRO training workshop for the countries of 
Eastern Europe and Central Asia to take place in September 2018 and one exercise during  the 
IPPC 2018 Regional Workshops.  
3  TRADE FACILITATION  
3.1  ePhyto  
3.1.  The IPPC ePhyto Project Technical Committee (PTC)/ePhyto Steering Group (ESG) met during 
the week of 28 May in Dublin, Ireland. The PTC agreed that the ePhyto Hub is now open for 
business, meani ng that interested IPPC Contracting Parties with the capacity to do so may now 
begin to integrate their existing national systems into the Hub. The PTC also presented the current 
status of the Generic National System (GeNS) by the United Nations Internatio nal Computing 
Center (UNICC), and members provided significant input into what will be the final version for use 
in the GeNS pilot beginning in September. The intention is for the entire ePhyto Solution to be 
open for business by January 2019.  
3.2.  The PTC disc ussed a proposed short -term (five years) business model of the ePhyto, as well 
as the transition from an ePhyto project to an ePhyto operation. The overarching goal is to have a 
fully sustainable ePhyto operation by 2024, with a clear agreement that much r emains to be done 
in order to arrive at that goal. A final business model will be presented to CPM -14 (2019) for 
approval.  
3.2  eCommerce  
3.3.  The IPPC is collaborating with the World Customs Organization (WCO) on activities related to 
eCommerce. The CPM Bureau is c onsidering the development of a dedicated project on 
eCommerce provided financial resources could be mobilized .  
3.3  Sea Containers Task Force (SCTF)  
3.4.  The Sea Containers Task Force (SCTF ) is implementing their multi -year and 2018 work plans 
to guide implementation of the Sea Container Complementary Action Plan for Assessing and 
Managing the Pest Threats Associated with Sea Containers. The SCTF and Complementary Action 
Plan aim to reduce t he pest risks associated with sea containers and measure the impact of the 
IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code) during the next 
five years, as well as to increase awareness of pest risks of sea containers and infor mation to 
assist NPPOs better manage these risks.  
4  INTERNATIONAL YEAR O F PLANT HEALTH (IYPH ) 
4.1.  The third meeting of the IPPC International Year of Plant Health Steering Committee (IPPC 
IYPH StC) was held on 23 -25 April 2018, at FAO headquarters, Rome , Italy. The participants 
discussed the updates on actions to support IYPH Proclamation at UNGA, and IYPH Programme G/SPS/GEN/1623  
 
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  Development in terms of financial support, partnership and communication and advocacy. The 
highlights of the meeting are as follows:  
 Developed  an IYPH information package in cooperation with the IPPC Secretariat and 
FAO. 
 Recognized  the International Seed Federation (ISF) as an official member of the IYPH 
StC. 
 Finalized  the stakeholder analysis to support the achievement of expected outcomes and 
outputs and the further development of the IYPH work programme.  
5  INTERNATIONAL COOPER ATION  
5.1.  Mr. Jingyuan Xia, Secretary of the  International Plant Protection Convention and Mr. Kun io 
Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), signed an agreement to 
promote cooperation on matters of common interest to help facilitate the international trade of 
plants and plant products in a safe and efficient matter at the W CO Headquarters in Brussel s on 
19 June 2018. The areas where the two organizations will cooperate include, but are not limited 
to, electronic data exchange (ePhyto), eCommerce, Sea Containers, Single Window and 
Communication and Advocacy. In addition, the IPPC and WCO will establish a joint work plan with 
specified activities focused on advancing their common goals.  
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