WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/979 
10 November 2009 
 (09-5596) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
 
MATTERS OF INTEREST ARISING FROM THE WORK  
OF OBSERVER ORGANIZATIONS 
 
Statement by the International Plant Protection Convention Secretariat (IPPC)
 
at the meeting of 28-29 October 2009  
   The following communication, received on 29 Octo ber 2009, is being circulated at the request 
of IPPC
. 
 
_______________ 
 
 
1. Standard Setting 
Member consultation 
 
1. Several standards were sent out for member consultation on 20 June 2009.  One diagnostic 
protocol (on Thrips palmi ) and eight cold treatments for fruit flies went out through the special 
process.  The revision to ISPMs No. 7:  Export certification system and No. 12: Guidelines for 
phytosanitary certificates, as well as a new draf t ISPM on design and operation of post-entry 
quarantine stations, went out through the regular pro cess.  In addition, there was also a proposal to 
delete one term from the Glossary of Phytosanitary Terms. 
Compiling member comments 2009 
 
2. This year several contracting parties and one Regional Plant Protection Organizations (RPPO) 
volunteered to assist the secretariat in compiling me mber comments.  Volunteers include Australia; 
COSAVE; Germany; Malaysia; Philippines; United Kingdom; and Zambia.  We would like to thank 
WTO Members for this valuable contribution.  In an attempt to streamline the process of compiling 
member comments, the secretariat is developing an online system, which is planned for the 2010 
members' consultation period. 
3. I have had a chance to review the compiled comments and we have received large volumes of 
comments on our proposed revisions to our draft I SPMs dealing with Export certification systems and 
Phytosanitary certificates, which may also be a reflecti on of the many concerns raised in this regard at 
this meeting of the SPS Committee. 
4. It is anticipated that at least two specifications for new standards will go out for member 
consultation in early December, one on a phytosan itary inspection manual and another on how to 
determine host status of fruits to fruit fly ( Tephridtidate ) infestation.  Members and the SPS 
Secretariat are invited to review these specifications  and submit comments to the IPPC secretariat via 
their National Plant Protection Organizations.  These topics seem timely given some of the issues raised at this meeting. G/SPS/GEN/979 
Page 2  
 
  Standards Committee 
 
5. Our Standards Committee will be meeting the week  following next and it is hope that they 
will recommend to the CPM three new standards.   The topics of these standards are potato 
microtubers, fruit fly trapping and post-entry quarantin e stations.  Members are reminded that there is 
one final comment period for urgent comments.  These comments can be submitted through your 
NPPO and must be received by the IPPC secretar iat at least 14 days prior to the Commission on 
Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) meeting. 
6. Earlier this month, funds were allocated to  hold our regular semi-annual meetings of our 
Standards Committee as well as meetings of all five of our Technical Panels.  In addition, two Expert 
Working Groups on the topics of import of plant br eeding material and soil and growing media will 
also be convened in 2010. 
7. The IPPC secretariat made a biennial call for topics for standards in May of 2009.  The IPPC 
secretariat has received 21 submissions for new to pics.  The Standards Committee will review the 
IPPC standard setting work programme vis-à-vis these new submissions and propose adjustments to 
the CPM.  In addition, the Standards Committee wi ll consider reorganizing the presentation of our 
adopted ISPMs based on a consultant’s study th at also considered the way both Codex and OIE 
present their adopted standards. 
8. A call for specific information and data for heat  treatments for fruit flies was made in May 
2009 with the deadline of 15 October 2009.  The secr etariat received nine submissions which are 
being considered by the Technical Panel on Phytosanitary Treatments (TPPT). 
9. The programme for the development of explanatory documents was put on hold in 2006 due 
to lack of resources, with a few exceptions.  CP M-3 asked that an explanatory document on ISPM 
No. 31 (Methodologies for sampling of consignments) urgently be developed.  The explanatory 
document for ISPM No. 31 was finalized and posted on our website in September 2009. 
2. Information Exchange 
10. The secretariat notes that th ere has been continued improvement in 2009 in updating and 
maintaining the IPPC Contact Point information, and we would like to thank WTO Members for their 
cooperation in this regard. 
11. The secretariat is finalizing a complete makeover of the IPPC website, which we call the 
International Phytosanitary Portal (IPP:  http://www.ippc.int
).  It is hoped that this improved website 
will be released near the end of November this y ear.  These improvements include adding sections for 
RPPOs, International Organizations and the Phytosan itary Capacity Evaluation tool (PCE).  Feedback 
compiled from surveys, workshop evaluations, and ot her means was used to guide the re-design to 
make the website faster, more stabile and provide  a simplified layout, navigation and a Google quick 
search and refined advanced search function.  We hope that a new dashboard for users with login 
access will enable users to manage their contact info rmation, login information and access to targeted 
groups and events. 
3. Dispute Settlement 
12. To date in 2009, there has been one request fo r assistance in resolving phytosanitary trade 
disputes.  G/SPS/GEN/979 
 Page 3 
 
 
  4. Capacity Building 
13. In December of this year, a group of capacity building experts will meet in Rome to help 
improve the IPPC Strategy for National Phytosanitary Capacity Building (NPCB ) and to finalize an 
operational and implementation plan. 
Capacity building projects 
14. In addition to assisting with the delivery of SPS workshops, the IPPC secretariat continued its 
collaboration with donor agencies and contracting par ties in the delivery of technical assistance for 
capacity building in projects funded through various sources.  
15. The main projects are outlined below: 
• Biosecurity capacity building: this project is funded under the One UN basket 
funding to address national priorities.  The secretariat assisted the government of the 
United Republic of Tanzania in identifying as well as addressing priorities in the 
context of national biosecurity under a one UN project. 
• The secretariat, under a supervisory or im plementation agreement signed between the 
Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) and FAO, provided its services to the following three STDF projects: 
(i) STDF 171- Establishment of a Centre of Phytosanitary Excellence (COPE) in 
East Africa, which is being established in Kenya to serve East African 
countries.  This centre will help coordinate phytosanitary training and regional coordination of phytosanitary issues. 
(ii) STDF 230- Establishment of a Lethal Yellowing Disease- free area for 
coconuts in Mozambique: the project is  being implemented with technical 
support services from the IPPC secretariat to help in the management of this 
pest. 
(iii) STDF 133- Capacity building in the use of the Phytosanitary Capacity 
Evaluation Tool in the Pacific. 
Workshops 
 
• The IPPC in collaboration with Codex Alimen tarius and OIE, participated in a Train-
the-Trainers workshop organized by the STDF under the project Participation of 
African Nations in Sanitary and Phyto sanitary Organizations (PANSPSO).  This 
project is being implemented by the African Union -InterAfrican Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR).  The IPPC secretariat is a member of the steering committee. 
• The IPPC supported five (5) regional workshops  to review draft ISPMs.  These were: 
the Southwest Pacific, Africa, Near East, Caribbean and for the first time Russian-
speaking countries of the Baltic, Central As ia and Eastern Europe regions.  Latin 
America, Europe, North America and As ia FAO regions now conduct reviews of 
draft ISPMs independently and do not require IPPC support. 
• An additional workshop is being held this  week for Russian-speaking countries which 
will help countries understand how to meet  their IPPC obligations and implement 
ISPMs. G/SPS/GEN/979 
Page 4  
 
  • The Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation tool is currently being upgraded, taking into 
account suggestions for improvements pr ovided by users and a group of PCE 
facilitators. 
• The International Advisory Group on Pest Risk  Analysis has continued to help in the 
development of Phytosanitary Pest Risk Analysis training material which is posted on the IPPC website and free for anyone to use.   I am also pleased to inform you that, 
thanks to the assistance from both Canada and France, the training material is also 
available in French. 
Guide for Foresters on ISPMs 
 
16. The FAO Forestry Department has initiated a two year project to develop a guide on good 
forest health practices that minimizes the movement of invasive forest species and provides a 
simplified understanding of the concepts contained in  the international standards for phytosanitary 
measures (ISPMs).  The guide is intended to assist forestry managers and other forestry professionals 
in both understanding the concepts and applying th em to practices in a manner that improves NPPO 
implementation of standards internationally. 
17. The IPPC secretariat is working closely with FAO Forestry Department staff and selected 
experts to ensure that the guide accurately reflect s the standards.  Where assistance is required, 
adequate technical expertise is proposed and utilized .  The secretariat is supporting a side event during 
the World Forestry Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October 2009 by developing a 
presentation on the subject and the work of the IPPC secretariat 
The Secretariat 
 
18. The secretariat faced significant challenges in  2009.  The increasing demand for activities 
directed at all IPPC Goals combined with the resi gnation of a number of secretariat staff meant that 
the full 2009 programme could not be delivered.  
19. I am pleased to announce that a full time Secretar y has been chosen and we hope to be able to 
announce who the successful candidate is  very soon, and to have him on the job in early 2010.  The 
final selection of an Implementation Officer is in the final stages.  In addition the IPPC secretariat has 
established some short term posts for some tempor ary assistance in Standard Setting, Information 
Exchange and Capacity building.  In addition, we hope to soon be posting a Vacancy Announcement 
(VA) for both a Coordinator and a position to fill the Help Desk for the IPPC Implementation Review 
and Support System (IRSS).  
20. We would like to thank both Canada and the Unite d States for providing us with staff.  The 
United States has provided us with two consultant s and an APO and Canada has provided us with a 
part time staff.  In some cases, these staff have remained in their home countries, which the secretariat 
is finding to be a viable alternative to meet our staffing needs. 
International Liaison 
 
21. The secretariat was represented at a range of meetings with international and regional 
organizations and a summary of these interactions is outlined below: 
 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD
) 
 
22. The secretariat continues to liaise with the CBD , including contribution to and participation of 
CBD secretariat staff on the International Advisory  Group on Pest Risk Analysis as well as continuing  G/SPS/GEN/979 
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  work with the CBD through a joint work programme which covers issues mostly related to Invasive 
Alien Species and Living Modified Organisms. 
 International Advisory Group on Pest Risk Analysis  
 
23. This group continues to develop PRA training mate rial.  A version of the Participants manual 
in French language is availa ble now and posted on IPP at 
https://www.ippc.int/id/191903?language=en .  Some members of this group have been active and 
have attended PRA training sessions as a resource person.  
 Quarantine and Pre-Shipment Task Force of the Montreal Protocol’s Technology and 
 Economic Assessment Panel (QPSTF ) 
 
24. The secretariat hosted a meeting of the Q PSTF in Rome on 7-9 September 2008.  The 
QPSTF, in consultation with the IPPC secretariat, has been requested to review all relevant, currently 
available information on the use of methyl bromide for quarantine and pre-shipment (QPS) 
applications and related emissions, to assess trends in the major uses, available alternatives, other 
mitigation options and barriers to the adoption of alternatives.  The QPSTF will determine what 
additional information or action ma y be required to meet those objectives in order to finalize a report 
on these issues, which will be presented at a workshop on  this topic to be held next week in Egypt.  
The IPPC secretariat will give a presentation at th is workshop which it hopes will highlight the efforts 
both the IPPC and NPPOa are making to help miti gate climate change by making efforts to reduce 
methyl bromide emissions. 
 International Forestry Quarantine Research Group (IFQRG ) 
 
25. The International Forestry Quarantine Rese arch Group met from 14 – 18 October 2009 in 
Rome.  The meeting focused on reviewing forest qu arantine research, most of which is related to 
research work needed to support the development of  standards by the Technical Panel on Forest 
Quarantine (TPFQ).  This meeting was attended by forestry scientists, representatives of national and 
regional plant protection organizations and industry  from Europe, North America and Africa.  Several 
scientists presented technical reports on collaborative wo rk carried out in many regions of the world.  
 Second World Trade Seed Conference  
 
26. The IPPC secretariat gave a presentation entitled "Phytosanitary Measures and the 
International Seed Trade" at this conference held  8-9 September 2009 at FAO Headquarters in Rome.  
The presentation highlighted the importance of work ing together, overviewed ISPMs of relevance to 
the seed trade, and addressed questions from th e audience about how topics for standards are 
developed. 
Electronic Certification 
 27. The IPPC secretariat attended the workshop on  Electronic Certification organized by the 
North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO ) in Ottawa, Canada.  This seems to be an 
area that is of concern to WTO Members and may al so be an area where the three sisters could work 
together to coordinate a harmonized approach.  All the meeting documents and full report can be 
found at NAPPO’s web site ( http://www.nappo.org
). 
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