CPM Bureau provides strategic direction to the IPPC community towards 2020

Rome, 7 and 11 October 2019. The Bureau of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM Bureau) met at FAO headquarters in Rome back-to-back with the meeting of the IPPC Strategic Planning Group (SPG). The meeting served as a preparation and follow-up for the SPG and provided strategic direction on key issues on the IPPC agenda.

The Chairperson Mr Javier TRUJILLO ARRIAGA opened the meeting and welcomed participants underlining that the SPG provides strategic perspectives to the work of the IPPC and provides advice to the Commission for the implementation of the Convention.

The CPM Bureau endorsed the finalized IPPC Strategic Framework for 2020-2030, as reviewed by the SPG and made ready to be presented to CPM-15 (2020) for final adoption. The Bureau also discussed about IPPC sustainable funding, acknowledged the additional FAO contribution to the IPPC Regular Programme budget for 2019, and recommended that FAO ensure increase of the FAO Regular Programme budget allocation for the IPPC by 2 million per year, in view of IPPC’s increasing role and work programme.

Bureau members engaged in discussions on the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) in 2020, and recommended keeping the original scope and definition of plant health as adopted by CPM and possibly broadening it to related concepts like integrated pest management.

Other key discussions focused on the preparation of the CPM-15 Ministerial segment, the need to retain staff in view of IYPH, and on IPPC’s role in emergencies.

To conclude, the IPPC Secretary Mr Jingyuan XIA affirmed: “We are very pleased to start a new era for the IPPC community, taking advantage of the IYPH as a once-in-a-life-time opportunity to scale up plant health and highlight the importance of the IPPC, national and regional plant protection organizations”.

The report will be posted soon at this link.

More pictures at this link.

Participants of the CPM Bureau meeting in October 2019. Copyright: FAO/IPPC