Phytosanitary capacity development significantly strengthened under the IPPC FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme

Rome, 20 April 2023. Members of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat, multiple FAO divisions and contracting party representatives met to mark the progress made, to date, on the IPPC Global Project on Capacity Development implemented by the IPPC under the framework of the FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme.

The project aims to strengthen the capacities of developing contracting parties to implement the IPPC and the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs). Since its inception in 2017, the project has seen numerous milestones met, as remarked by Anping Ye, Director of the South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division,

“The IPPC FAO-China South-South Cooperation Project has shown what can be achieved, thanks to effective cooperation across multiple FAO divisions, whilst also working closely with our country partners.”

The project has supported numerous symposia, workshops and training courses in various regions, established an information sharing platform for contracting parties of the Belt and Road initiative, and has promoted bilateral and inter-regional cooperation. An example of such events is the support to IPPC Regional Workshops each year, as well as to the National Reporting Obligations workshops.

The Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE) conducted in Sri Lanka, which was funded and supported by this project, is a concrete example of how the national plant protection organization (NPPO) was able to evaluate the country’s national phytosanitary capacity strategy and to develop an action plan. The project activities included the transfer of technologies for handling fruit flies between Chinese researchers and the NPPO of Sri Lanka, and multiple courses were delivered on the topic.

In Cambodia, a similar project is being carried out on the ground where PCE is being implemented and training courses are being organized on phytosanitary measures and integrated pest management technologies to combat Banana Fusarium wilt Race 1 and Tropical Race 4, including demonstrations of new innovative Chinese technologies.

“As the project comes to a close at the end of 2023, I am looking forward to seeing the objectives of this project come to fruition with additional workshops and training courses organized, and the PCE in Cambodia completed,” said Jingyuan Xia, Director of FAO Plant Production and Protection Division.

To wrap up the project, a high-level training course will be organized in China and activities in the two pilot countries will be finalized, namely Sri Lanka and Cambodia, highlighting the richness of the South-South and Triangular cooperation approach.