Posted on Fri, 14 Jun 2024, 14:16

Deadline on Mon, 15 Jul 2024, 23:59

The IPPC Secretariat is soliciting nominations for appropriately qualified experts to participate in the CPM Focus Group on Sea Containers (FGSC), with the deadline of 15 July 2024.

1. BACKGROUND

The purpose of this Focus Group is to continue the work carried out by the 2022-2023 Focus Group on Sea Containers and review all new, emerging and evolving technologies and opportunities. In considering these factors, the FGSC will provide final recommendations to the CPM on long term IPPC guidance. Established in April 2022 (CPM-16), the FGSC was further extended by the Eighteenth Session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-18, 2024) until CPM-21 (2027) with a new Terms of Reference (ToR). The new ToR as adopted by CPM-18 can be found on the IPPC website Terms of Reference for the CPM Focus Group on Sea Containers.

Current membership of the FGSC consists of as follows:

• Seven members from contracting parties;
• Two representatives from regional plant protection organizations (RPPOs);
• One representative of the CPM Bureau;
• One representative of the Standards Committee (SC);
• One representative of the Implementation and Capacity Development Committee (IC);
• Three representatives (chairperson and two representatives) of the Industry Advisory Group on sea containers.
• One representative of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• One representative of World Customs Organization (WCO)
• One representative of the World Bank Group (WBG)

Two experts (one NPPO and one RPPO) are now being called to join the FGSC to complete the membership as per the ToR and succeed members who were not able to continue in extended the Focus Group. It is important to note that a face-to-face meeting is tentatively planned for early December 2024 (venue TBC). Candidates are kindly requested to ensure availability to attend this meeting. Moreover, appropriate time allocation to participate throughout the mandate of the FGSC via virtual mode is also required.

2. INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING NOMINATIONS

Nominations will be accepted from contracting parties, national or regional plant protection organizations (NPPOs or RPPOs). A nomination should only be made if the nominee has agreed to his/her nomination and can allocate appropriate time to the task as outlined in the Statement of Commitment.

Each nomination must be accompanied by the following documentation, available on this webpage (please also check hyperlinks):

1. Completed Nominee details and summary of expertise form - All sections should be completed, including contact details, education, and professional training. A clear description of the nominee’s expertise is required. MS Word version of the document is preferred. The file should be named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_Summary
2. Completed and signed Statement of Commitment - this should be read carefully by each nominee and discussed between the nominee and their employer. The form should be signed by the nominee and a senior person in authority from the organization that employs the nominee and submitted with the nomination (as a file such as PDF). The file should be named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_Commitment
3. The nominee’s Curriculum Vitae (CV) – electronic copy of the nominee’s CV with the file named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_CV. MS Word version of the document is preferred.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS – PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY!

Nominations can be submitted both online and via e-mail.

IMPORTANT: Please make your submissions by using the email address of IPPC Official Contact Point or RPPO and NOT the alternative email address.

Online Submissions

Link to Online Submissions

These online submission forms have been created to facilitate the submission process. They also allow you to work with them offline. After completing the form, a confirmation email will be sent to the specified email address with the completed form attached.

Nominations will be accepted from contracting parties, national or regional plant protection organizations (NPPOs or RPPOs) through their respective NPPO or RPPO IPPC Official Contact Point. Self-nominations should be supported by an accompanying letter from the respective IPPC Official Contact Point. A nomination should only be made if the nominee has agreed to their nomination, is available for the meeting dates as posted on the IPPC Calendar and can allocate appropriate time to the tasks outlined in the Statement of Commitment.

Please also note that some of the fields on the form have data verification (please avoid using spaces in front or at the end in the following fields):

Email address of the IPPC Official Contact Point or RPPO - please provide the email address. Make sure that your email address is correct, as you will receive an automated email receipt confirmation from the IPPC Secretariat once you have submitted your nomination.

• Nominee's first name - please capitalize your first name. Examples: Anna, Muhammad
• Nominee's last name - please capitalize your last name. Examples: Laurie, Kimura
• Nominee's email address - please provide the correct email address of the nominee. They will also receive a confirmation to that email address. Example: [email protected]
• Nominee's mobile number - please provide a telephone number where the Secretariat can reach the nominee as needed. Please use a "+" in front of the number and not use parentheses. Example: +391234567890. The calling code of your county can be found here: https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/international-calling-codes.htm

In total, the online submission form will be composed of the following documents:

1. Completed nominee details and summary of expertise online form (the forms are enclosed for ease of reference);
2. Completed and signed Statement of Commitment form – should be read carefully by each nominee and discussed between the nominee and their employer. The form should then be signed by the nominee and a senior person in authority from the organization that employs the nominee. The form should be submitted with the nomination (as a scanned image file such as a PDF). The file should be named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_commitment;
3. The nominee's Curriculum Vitae (CV) – electronic copy of the nominee's CV with the file named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_CV.

Nominations by e-mail

Nominations will be accepted from contracting parties, national or regional plant protection organizations (NPPOs or RPPOs) through their respective NPPO or RPPO official IPPC Contact Point and self-nominations should be supported by an accompanying letter from the respective IPPC contact point.

Submissions should be sent to the IPPC Secretariat by e-mail [email protected] with copy to [email protected] and [email protected] no later than 15 July 2024. The name of the nominating country or RPPO and the words “Call for Experts for CPM Focus Group on Sea Containers” should be placed in the subject line of the email message.

3. SPECIFIC EXPERTISE REQUIRED

The FGSC members should have combined expertise and knowledge in the following areas:

• working with phytosanitary issues related to sea container movement;
• logistics of sea container movement;
• phytosanitary import or export systems related to the pest risk assessment and management of regulated articles;
• existing global and/or regional frameworks for the management of phytosanitary risks; and
• addressing issues related to reducing the movement of contaminating pests.

All members should have knowledge of the IPPC’s mandate, strategic framework, and activities.

4. THE PROCESS

The IPPC Secretariat will review the nominations and completed nominations will be presented to the CPM Bureau for their selection and endorsement. The selected experts will be contacted by the IPPC Secretariat.

5. TASKS

The CPM-18 (2024) agreed that the key tasks for the FGSC will be:

1. Subject to the availability of suitable data assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the CPM Recommendation on Sea containers (R-06) in reducing pest risks associated with the sea container pathway (e.g., raising awareness, visual examination, methods to remove contamination, design aspects).
2. Invite NPPOs and other stakeholders to advise the Focus Group of outcomes related to ongoing trials, technology developments related to the sea container pathway, and the results of quantitative studies to quantify pest risk and the impact of the CPM recommendation on sea containers.
3. Continue to analyze potential regulatory and non-regulatory options in order to identify and describe a recommended option or options to minimize pest risks in the sea container pathway.
4. Consider the costs and benefits for pest risk management and the practicalities and possible impacts of the identified options on container logistics, supply chains and NPPOs as well as the required systems and tools.
5. Analyze the information gathered in points 1-4 (above). Provide recommendations to CPM that are consistent with the pest risk on preferred options for regulatory and/or non-regulatory actions including additional guidance and whether development of an ISPM is feasible and desirable, and draft specifications for such actions as necessary.
6. Continue to communicate via the IPPC Secretariat with the WCO, IMO, CBD, WBG and WOAH on areas for collaboration and further consider, in cooperation with the three sponsoring UN organizations, amendments to the CTU Code, which is undergoing revision, regarding sea container pathway cleanliness.
7. Support the IPPC Secretariat in organizing a workshop no later than 2026 (subject to availability of funds) that brings together industry, stakeholders and NPPOs to review the uptake and effectiveness of CPM recommendation on Sea containers (R-06) and inform future considerations.
8. Develop an action plan detailing the steps for completing the tasks identified in this ToR and present to CPM Bureau for approval in October 2024.

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For further information: Please contact by email [email protected] or [email protected].

Nominations are due 15 JULY 2024.

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