An Official Launch of the Inception for the IPPC Project on Capacity Development under the Framework of FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme

IPPC 2017. The IPPC/FAO Regional Workshop participants for Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia convene during special session on official launch of the inception of the IPPC Project on Capacity Development under the Framework of FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme in Tbilisi, Georgia.

During the occasion of the 2017 IPPC/FAO Regional Workshop for Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) in Tbilisi Georgia, 5 - 8 September 2017, a special session was organized to officially launch the Inception of the Project on Capacity Development under the Framework of FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme. Mr. Jingyuan Xia, the IPPC Secretary, delivered introductory remarks on the importance of IPPC-FAO-China project. He mentioned to the participants that the overall objective of the IPPC-FAO-China project is to bring more innovative ways and means for strengthening capacity of IPPC developing CPs so as to further implementation of the Convention. This is a four-year project (2017-2020), with a total budget of 2,000,000 USD. The project covers four work packages: 1) improving understanding of the IPPC by IPPC developing CPs; 2) promoting inter-regional cooperation among developing CPs in the region closely relevant to the Chinese Initiative of One Belt and One Road; 3) facilitating coordination and collaboration among China, the IPPC and other developing CPs in the areas of human resource and technical cooperation; and 4) increasing awareness of the IPPC at the global, regional and national levels.

The Secretary Xia stressed that the IPPC-FAO-China project is the first and the biggest support to the IPPC work programme from IPPC developing CPs, especially from the BRICS counties. This project is also a milestone for the IPPC to strengthen the cooperation with its developing CPs. The IPPC Secretariat would try very best to have the IPPC-FAO-China project to be implemented successfully and fruitfully in order to set up a model for strengthening its cooperation with more developing CPs, in particular with the BRICS countries.

Dr. Kongming Wu, the Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), presented a keynote address on The Contribution of Plant Health to Implementation of the Chinese Initiative One Belt and One Road. Dr. Wu highlighted the important role of plant health in towards implementing the One Belt and One Road initiative in China. He detailed the nature of the initiative and its efforts of jointly building the Silk Road economic belt and a 21st century maritime Silk Road . The belt and road run through the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa and adjacent seas, allowing for a connection between the economies of Eastern Asia and European economies as well as the encompassment of countries with huge potential for economic development.

Mr. Zhongwei Liu, FAO Programme Officer from the FAO-China SSC Programme, presented the workshops participants an overview of the FAO-China SSC programme. Since 1996, the FAO-China SSC Programme has deployed 1,023 experts and technicians in 25 countries and regions of Africa, Asia, the South Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. Experts and technicians have provided considerable contributions in the areas of irrigation, horticulture, livestock, agriculture, crop production, agroforestry, agricultural mechanization, food processing, marketing of agricultural products and others.

The 2017 IPPC/FAO Regional Workshop for CEECA was the first activity partially supported by the IPPC project on strengthening the capacity for developing contracting parties to implement the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) under the framework of the FAO-China SSC Programme. This inception activity for the project is an important step for the IPPC and for the region, and aims to strengthen the technical capacities as well as strengthen technical cooperation between countries in the One Belt and One Road geographical area, including China.

For more information on the 2017 IPPC/FAO Regional Workshop for Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia click here; and for more information on the IPPC-FAO-China project towards strengthening the capacity of the IPPC contracting parties click here.