The IPPC Financial Committee FC) meeting held in Rome - new membership continuing the good work

The IPPC Financial Committee (FC) meeting was held from 7-8 June, 2018, at FAO-HQ, Rome, Italy, just before the CPM Bureau meeting which commenced on 11 June, 2018. The meeting was chaired by Greg WOLFF (Canada - new FC Chair), opened by Jingyuan XIA, IPPC Secretary, and attended by Lois RANSOM (Australia - FC member), Kyu-Ock YIM (Republic of Korea - FC member), Lucien KOUAME KONAN (Côte d Ivoire - FC member), Craig FEDCHOCK (IPPC Adviser) and Marko BENOVIC (Budget and Planning Officer of the IPPC Secretariat).

The main objectives and activities of this FC meeting were to: 1) update the Work plan and budget of the IPPC Secretariat for 2018, and the resource mobilization of the IPPC Secretariat for 2018; 2) review the action points from the last meeting, and the work plan and budget of the IPPC Secretariat for 2019; 3) discuss the important work plan and budgetary issues, such as the proposal on minimum staffing requirements supported by FAO-RP for basic operation of the IPPC Secretariat, the work plan and budget of the IPPC Secretariat for 2020, the principles on preparation for annual work plan and budget of the IPPC, and the five-year investment plan of the IPPC Secretariat; and 4) set up FC work plan for 2018.

Significant outcomes from the meeting included that the FC: 1) supported progress in the implementation of the 2018 Work plan and Budget and, and provided inputs to the work on 2019 and 2020 Work plan and Budgets; 2) supported the proposal on minimal staffing requirements for basic operation of the IPPC Secretariat, and the work on the preparation of the SOPs for development of IPPC Secretariat Annual Work Plan and Budget; 3) developed recommendations on financial implications of CPM decisions, attendance of developing countries to CPM and the use of IPPC multi-donor trust fund resources for staff; 4) advanced the discussion on ePhyto and IYPH trust fund usage; and 5) agreed on future steps with regard to the five year investment plan of the IPPC Secretariat.