CPM Bureau advances preparation for upcoming Strategic Planning Group

Rome, 16 September 2021. The Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) Bureau held its ninth virtual meeting to advance its work in preparation of the tenth session of the Strategic Planning Group, scheduled on 19 and 21 October 2021, and the sixteenth session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-16). Some CPM Bureau members reported about the recent work done by some of the newly established CPM Focus Groups on communications, on climate change and phytosanitary risks, and on implementation of the IPPC strategic framework’s development agenda items, which have all started meeting in September.

The IPPC Secretariat reported on some actions following up the International Year of Plant Health and its legacies, particularly the establishment of an International Steering Committee of the International Day of Plant Health (IDPH ISC). In fact, the seventy-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly is set to discuss the IDPH establishment by December 2021, which would then become a yearly recurrence for the IPPC community to celebrate.

The CPM Bureau decided that CPM-16 should take place virtually again, following the structure and planning of its previous edition. The IPPC Secretariat was requested to initiate planning in accordance with the FAO provisions to organize virtual governing body meetings. At the end of the meeting, Brent Larson, lead of the IPPC Secretariat’s Implementation and Facilitation Unit, announced his decision to retire in early 2022. All CPM Bureau members expressed their appreciation for his outstanding contribution to the IPPC community over the past two decades, wishing him all the best for his future.

The report of the September CPM Bureau meeting is going to be available at this link.