Spotlight: IPPC phytosanitary capacity development in action
Posted on Tue, 25 Mar 2025, 08:13
©KEPHIS
Rome, 20 March 2025. Delegates at the Nineteenth Session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-19), commended the progress in developing and adopting International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) implementation and capacity development (ICD) resources and called for more funding. From new e-learning courses and technical guides to capacity development and trade facilitation projects, IPPC ICD resources support countries in implementing the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) and meeting their phytosanitary capacity needs. Below are highlights of IPPC’s implementation and capacity development efforts, led by the Implementation and Facilitation Unit at the IPPC Secretariat, with guidance from the Implementation and Capacity Development Committee.
New: IPPC Plant Health Campus
The IPPC Secretariat, in collaboration with the FAO elearning Academy, has developed the IPPC Plant Health Campus, a free, multilingual, global phytosanitary learning hub comprising all IPPC ICD materials. Launched on the first day of the weeklong meeting (17-21 March), the IPPC Plant Health Campus is designed to strengthen national phytosanitary capacity by providing high-quality, customizable training materials for national plant protection organization (NPPO) staff, phytosanitary capacity evaluation facilitators, government agencies and other plant health stakeholders.
It features existing and newly developed IPPC e-learning courses with internationally recognized certifications, such as Working with a national plant protection organization and Conducting a Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation; technical resources such as the IPPC Guide to Participating in the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures; and the interactive National plant protection organization learning pathways, designed to help plant protection professionals in planning their training journeys.
© FAO/ Cristiano Minichiello
By January 2025, over 4 600 learners had taken the IPPC e-learning courses, with the number of those obtaining certification doubling since January 2024. More e-learning courses are being developed in 2025. Delegates from China, the European Union and Jamaica, highlighted the benefits of the IPPC e-learning courses and guides and called for more funding of capacity development activities.
Harmonizing electronic data exchange
More countries joined the IPPC ePhyto Solution, an innovative platform leading the global digitalization of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) trade documents. By December 2024, 136 countries had registered to use the Hub, a centralized system to create, send, and receive electronic phytosanitary certificates (ePhytos), up from 128 in 2023. Ninety-four countries were actively exchanging over 200 000 ePhytos monthly, resulting in over seven million ePhytos exchanged, up from five million by December 2023. This growth demonstrates the value of countries switching to electronic phytosanitary certification to improve agricultural trade. However, more contracting parties were encouraged to join and contribute financially to the ePhyto Multi donor trust fund (MDTF).
Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation
The IPPC supported countries to assess their phytosanitary capacity and develop strategies to address phytosanitary systems gaps. In Africa, the IPPC Secretariat, through funding from the European Union, supported 11 countries within the COMESA region to conduct Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluations (PCEs). With a national strategy developed following a PCE, countries can confidently engage donors and partners in addressing phytosanitary gaps. Uganda is one of the successes so far, having mobilized about £8million from the European Union, to strengthen its phytosanitary capacity. Furthermore, the IPPC has trained 10 new PCE facilitators, increasing the human resources for PCE implementation and expanding the global PCE knowledge-sharing network.
Pest outbreak and alert response systems (POARS)
 | To enhance prevention, preparedness, and response activities aimed at minimizing the impact of pests of global concern and to encourage countries to fulfill their national report obligations, the IPPC Secretariat has developed criteria to identify these pests and created an activity framework to guide implementation. The secretariat also organized training on diagnostics, surveillance, and hands-on simulation of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense TR4. During the training, experts from Mesoamerica demonstrated their Fusarium TR4 response and management experience, facilitating knowledge transfer to Africa. The IPPC's POARS work also includes monthly pest outbreak alert reports. At CPM-19, members from the Group of Latin America and Caribbean countries (GRULAC) emphasized the importance of prioritizing Fusarium TR4 prevention and highlighted the synergies and innovative work by countries in the region to protect the banana crop. |
Information is power
Understanding the needs and issues of the plant health community is vital for effective implementation of the IPPC's work. Through the IPPC Observatory, the secretariat conducted a survey on global strategies to manage pest risk through e-commerce. It advanced the study of the phytosanitary risks associated with Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in plant health. Preliminary results from the AMR survey show relatively low use of antibiotics in plant protection while results from the e-commerce survey will be presented at CPM-20 in 2026. Furthermore, the IPPC Secretariat is developing two technical resources on "Authorizing entities to perform phytosanitary actions" and "Audit in the phytosanitary context" to support developing guidance on the use of third-party entities to undertake phytosanitary actions on behalf of NPPOs.
E-commerce, postal and courier pathways
To enhance awareness about the pest threat from online shopping, postal, and courier pathways and the required technical capacity to address the issue, in 2024, the 2023 IPPC guide on E-commerce was translated into Spanish and will be available in French in 2025. An infographic video, available in eight languages, was produced and an exhibit was held on International Day of Plant Health 2024, themed “Plant health, safe trade, and digital technology”.
Plant Health within One Health
The IPPC also advocated for and promoted discourse on the importance of plant health in the One Health approach to health threats, through activities such as a side event at the Twenty-ninth Session of the FAO Committee on Agriculture (COAG-29) and a meeting with the Rome-based chapter of the Group of 77 and China.
Call for more funding
Despite the progress, delegates emphasized the need for increased funding to increase development and expand access to more IPPC ICD resources. The IPPC needs about USD 200 000 annually for underfunded priorities, including the IPPC ePhyto Solution, National Reporting Obligations, PCE, POARS, the IPPC Observatory, global coordination of banana Fusarium TR4 and developing guides and training materials. CPM thanked Canada, the European Union, France, Japan, and the Republic of Korea for their financial and in-kind contributions; and recognised the immense job of technical experts, translators and proofreaders.
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