G/SPS/GEN/1565  
 
3 July  2017 
(17-3580) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
 
REPORT OF THE  INTERNATIONAL PLANT PROTECTION  
CONVENTION SECRETARI AT (IPPC)  
The followi ng communication, received on 2 July  2017, is being circulated at the request of the 
International Plant Protection Convention secretariat  (IPPC).  
 
_______________  
 
 
1.  The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is an international plant health 
agreement, originally established in 1952 and revised in 1997, that aims to protect cultivated and 
wild plants by preventing the introduction and spread of pests. The strate gic objective of the IPPC 
is to protect food security and the environment while facilitating trade through strengthening 
capacity and capability of its contracting parties  (CPs) . The IPPC is recognized as the only 
international standard setting body for pl ant health by the World Trade Organization Agreement on 
the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (WTO SPS Agreement).  
2.  The IPPC is governed by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM). The IPPC 
secretariat , hosted by the Food and Agricul ture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations as an 
Article XIV body  under FAO Chapter , works together with 183 national plant protection 
organizations (NPPOs) and nine  regional plant protection organizations (RPPOs) to: a) make 
strategic and action plan o n world' s phytosanitary issues; b) set up international standards and  
facilitate standard implementation; c) conduct phytosanitary dispute avoidance and settlement ; 
d) share phytosanitary information; and e) cooperate with other international and regional 
organizations on relevant phtytosanitary -related  matters . 
3.  The year 2017 is the 65th anniversary of the IPPC, and the IPPC annual theme for 2017 is 
"Plant Health and Trade Facilitation". Ten major achievements of the IPPC secretariat for the 2017 
first seme ster are highlighted in this report:  
 the IPPC 2017 annual theme;  
 IPPC governance and strategic activities;  
 coordination of standards;  
 implementation of standards;  
 the IPPC ePhyto;  
 communications and advocacy;  
 the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH);  
 international cooperation;  
 resource mobilization; and  
 internal management.  
4.  Disseminated the IPPC 2017 annual theme . The IPPC secretariat organized a keynote address 
at CPM 12 on the IPPC annual t heme, which was delivered by Mr  Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary 
General of the World Customs Organization (WCO). We also organized a series of activities to 
showcase this IPPC annual theme during the CPM 12, including one special session on eCommerce, 
and one side event on IPPC ePhyto.  
5.  Organized IPPC governance and strategic activities . The IPPC secretariat provided a strong 
support in organizing all IPPC governing bodies meetings, such as CPM 12, Finance and Bureau in 
April and June, as well as Standards Committee (SC) and Capacity Development Committee (CDC) 
in May . We also made a close follow -up with implementation of important CPM decisions, mainly G/SPS/GEN/1565  
 
- 2 - 
 
  on setting up an oversight body for implementation, establishing a sustainable funding mechanism 
for IPPC Work Programmes, and promoting IPPC strategic planning for 202 0-2030.  
6.  Coordinated standards setting . In CPM 12, f ifteen International Standards for Phytosanitary 
Measures (ISPMs) were adopted, and ten Phytosanitary Diagnostic Protocols approved by the SC 
were noted. This represents a record number of adopted standard s for a single year in IPPC 
history. Three draft standards were approved for the first consultation by SC in May 2017; and 
four draft standards were approved for the second consultation by SC -7. 
7.  Promoted standards implementation . The second cycle of the pr oject on Implementation and 
Review Support Systems (IRSS) was completed. Seven IPPC Regional Workshops were prepared 
with all agendas finalized. The IPPC -China project on capacity development of developing CPs was 
initialized for implantation.  
8.  Implemented SDDF pilot project on ePhyto . The development of IPPC hub and Generic National 
Systems (GeNS) was promoted in cooperation with UNICC, and 15 pilot CPs. The demonstration of 
the hub and GeNS was carried out in some pilot CPs, such as Sri -Lanka and Samoa.  
9.  Enhanced communication and advocacy . One IPPC Seminar on Prevention and Management of 
Red Palm Weevil was organized in FAO -HQ. Over 80 items of IPPC headline news were issued. The 
factsheet on the IPPC was released, and the 2016 IPPC Annual Report was publis hed. 
10.  Promoted development of the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) 2020 . The 2nd Steering 
Committee for IYPH was held in Incheon, Republic of Korea, with commutation and advocacy plan 
on IYPH approved. The resolution for IYPH 2020 is going to be en dorsed at the 40th FAO 
Conference in upcoming July.  
11.  Promoted international cooperation . The cooperation with the International Atomic Energy 
Administration (IAEA) was deepened in the area of phytosanitary standard setting. The IPPC -WCO 
cooperation agreemen t was developed and discussed. The joint work programme between the 
IPPC and the C BD was finalized for signature.  
12.  Strengthened resource mobilization . The IPPC multi-donor trust fund was gained from 
Australia, Canada, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand.  The third cycle of the IPPC -EU project 
on IRSS was initialized for bilateral discussion. The IPPC -Japan project on support to implantation 
of the IPPC and its ISPMs was initialled for project formulation.  
13.  International management of the IPPC secretariat . The action plan for the Enhancement 
Evaluation of the IPPC secretariat was implemented, mainly for regrouping the staff and their 
responsibilities. The operational mechanism was optimized by setting up over ten items of 
standardized communication and advoc acy issues.  
14.  The IPPC secretariat would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to 
WTO-SPS Secretariat for the strong support and close cooperation.  
 
__________