Cooperation between Standards & Implementation

The Commision on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM), the governing body of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), oversees the work of the IPPC Secretariat, which is composed of the following two major areas:

1. Standard Setting and
2. Implementation and Capacity Development

Standards provide a way for Contracting Parties to the IPPC to align their national phytosanitary measures with the CPM adopted International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM), through doing this, Contracting Parties harmonize their phytosanitary measures. ISPMs developed under the auspices of the IPPC Secretariat are recognized in the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures (SPS agreement) and the IPPC Secretariat is the only international plant health standard setting organization. For this reason, and as standard setting is a core componet of the IPPC (Article X), this is a major focus for the IPPC Community.

The implementaton of the New Revised Text of the IPPC (1997) , ISPMs5) and CPM Recommendations (CPM-Rs) is also important. To faciliate this, the developoment of capacity is needed in some contracting parties, this technical assistance is also another core component of the IPPC (Article XX).

The folloiwng two subsiduary bodies of the CPM oversee this work, the:

• Standards Commitee (SC) and
• Implementatoin and Capacity Development Committee (IC)