FAO Director-General calls for investments on plant health to ensure global food security

PRESS RELEASE. 17 March 2025, Rome. The plant health community gathers this week at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to take stock of the global state of plant health. Healthy plants are the foundation of food security yet up to 40 percent of global crops can be lost due to pests and diseases every year.

The Nineteenth Session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-19), convening on 17-21 March 2025, is the platform for contracting parties to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) to adopt proposed International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs). ISPMs set the structure for countries to implement so they can take appropriate actions to prevent the entry and spread of pests while mitigating the risks posed by international trade.

The IPPC is a multilateral treaty designed to protect the world’s plant resources from pests. Since its establishment in 1951, the convention has been ratified by 185 contracting parties.

At CPM-19, it is expected that annexes to two ISPMs will be adopted, namely ISPM 46 on the International movement of fresh Mangifera indica fruit, and annex to ISPM 39 on the Use of systems approaches in managing the pest risk associated with the movement of wood.

In a groundbreaking achievement on policy development on the “next generation” of the IPPC standards, the ISPM on “mango fruits” is the first commodity-specific standard that ensures the safe trade of fresh mangoes through its value chain, a widely produced and consumed commodity around the world. ISPM 39 sets the phytosanitary standards in the use of raw wood commodities and material resulting from the mechanical processing of wood, and the systems approaches will provide countries with additional measure options to manage pest risks.

Addressing the more than 300 delegates at CPM-19, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu emphasized that the role of IPPC Contracting Parties is essential, and that plant health is not only a technical issue, but is fundamental to food security, biodiversity conservation and sustainable agrifood systems.

Qu further emphasized that plant health is central to the One Health approach. Protecting plants and biodiversity helps reduce the need for harmful pesticides and mitigate risks from zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance and environmental degradation.  

“Healthy plants are the foundation of productive farms and strong rural livelihoods. Plant health is essential to One Health, and it must be a global priority”, Qu stressed.

He called on governments to invest in plant health as a key pillar of food security, to implement science-based phytosanitary measures to promote safe trade and prevent pest outbreaks, strengthen international cooperation to tackle transboundary pests, and to harness digital tools and innovation to improve pest surveillance and early warning systems.

“A world free from the devastating impact of plant pests and diseases is within reach, but it requires commitment, investment and collaboration”, Qu concluded.

CPM-19, organized by the IPPC Secretariat, will also share updates on the progress of the IPPC’s work including those of the subsidiary bodies, Strategic Planning Group and the secretariat.

This year’s CPM session will also launch the IPPC Plant Health Campus, an innovative digital e-learning platform offering free high-level e-learning courses to all that will strengthen the technical capability and competence of plant health professionals worldwide.

About FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO’s objective is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO works to transform agri-food systems by promoting sustainable production and consumption, including protecting the world’s plants to achieve global food security. FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide and has 195 members - 194 countries and the European Union.

About IPPC

The IPPC is an international treaty ratified by 185 contracting parties, aiming to protect the world's plant resources from the spread and introduction of pests, and promoting safe trade.  International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs), developed under the auspices of the IPPC as the sole global standard-setting entity for plant health, assist countries in implementing national phytosanitary standards and import requirements. The IPPC Secretariat is hosted and provided by FAO as an Article XIV body under the FAO Charter.

More information:

About the International Plant Protection Convention

Orientation to CPM

Video: Standard setting process

Media contact:

Mutya Frio

IPPC Communications Specialist

[email protected]