Annual TC-RPPO Meets Virtually in 2021

Rome 20 December 2021. The 33rd meeting of Technical Consultation among Regional Plant Protection Organizations (TC RPPO) held two virtual sessions on 6 October and 8 November 2021 with a continuance of topics remaining from the 32nd TC RPPO. The virtual meetings were chaired by Mr Visoni Timote the Executive Secretary of the Pacific Plant Protection Organization (PPPO).

The request of ECOWAS to be recognized as an RPPO was conversed with a recommendation for a final decision to be made by the Convention on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) 16. An update by the IPPC Secretariat on the partnership/collaboration with the International Society for Pests that highlight potential linkages with the work of the CPM Focus Group on Pest Outbreak Alert and Response System was presented to the technical consultation members.

The TC RPPO also received an update from the Secretariat on Laboratory Diagnostic Networking as it relates to the Strategic Framework 2020 - 2030 Development Agenda and discussed ideas for the Terms of Reference for a potential consultant to be hired by the IPPC. Preliminary ideas on how a consultant could proceed with evaluations to analyze various resources already in existence by some regional laboratory diagnostic systems were deliberated.

The TC RPPO finalized the amendments of the Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure of TC-RPPO that were discussed in earlier virtual platforms. Fully acknowledging the efforts of the drafting team, Chairperson Mr Timote congratulated the team for its work on amending the Terms of Reference. The former representative from The Andean Community (CAN) Mr Camilo Beltran Montoyo, Mr Nico Horn from the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), Mr Mekki Chouibani of the Near East Plant Protection Organization (NEPPO), and Ms Stephanie Bloem from the North America Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO) were recognized by the Chairperson for their accomplishment.

Mr Nico Horn from the EPPO and Ms Stephanie Bloem from NAPPO volunteered to be the rapporteurs. Once the draft TC RPPO reports are cleared, they will become available on the IPP website. The final virtual session of the 33rd TC RPPO series is scheduled for 3 February 2022 when a new Chairperson will be elected.