The IPPC 2019 Annual Report is published

Rome, 25 June 2020 – The IPPC Annual Report 2019: Protecting the world’s plant resources from pests has been published online. Styled with a new and fresher makeover, the publication highlights all the major achievements of the IPPC community in 2019. Last year was a time of tireless preparation for the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) 2020, culminated in December with the opening ceremony of the IYPH at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy inaugurated by the FAO Director General, Mr Qu Dongyu.

As indicated in the 2019 IPPC Annual Report by Mr Jingyuan Xia, the IPPC Secretary, 2019 marked a historical bridge between the IPPC Strategic Objectives for 2012–2019 and the new IPPC Strategic Framework for 2020-2030. The implementation of this new Framework will substantially determine the global agenda on plant health for the next decade. With Mr Xia’s words, “the new IPPC Strategic Framework is a new global guide for plant health activities, which will contribute to achieving the UN SDGs by enhancing global food security, protecting the environment and facilitating safe trade."

With the adoption of two International Standards (ISPMs) and one CPM recommendation, besides six Diagnostic Protocols (DPs) noted by the 14th Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-14), the IPPC community celebrated another significant year. What is more, the IPPC ePhyto Solution won the Trade Facilitation Innovation Award at the 2019 Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum, and its Generic National System (GeNS) was successfully launched and piloted by Ghana, Samoa and Sri Lanka.

Under the annual theme of Plant Health and Capacity Development, the IPPC community demonstrated the importance of building and enhancing the phytosanitary capacity of its contracting parties, especially those from developing countries. Among many activities focused on this theme, seven IPPC Regional Workshops were organized involving over 240 participants from 149 countries. An unforgettable keynote address on the importance of plant health and capacity development was delivered during CPM-14 by Ms Anne Bucher, Director-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission, who also highlighted the importance of protecting plants as a central element of the food chain.

These and more achievements were possible thanks to generous and fair contributions of the IPPC community, and the incredible support of relevant stakeholders and partner organizations. In 2019 the IPPC Multi-Donor Trust Fund reached a record amount of donations, mainly received from Australia, France, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the North-America Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO). An exceptional amount of funding was also reached for IPPC projects thanks to the generous contribution from European Commission DG-Trade and DG-SANTE.

Taking this opportunity, the IPPC Secretary Xia wishes to express his deepest appreciation to all relevant stakeholders for their great support to the IPPC work programme in 2019, in particular to the IPPC governing bodies for their valuable guidance, the IPPC contracting parties (NPPOs) and Regional Plant Protection Organizations (RPPOs) for their positive contribution, and the IPPC partners and collaborators for their close cooperation.

You are welcome to read the IPPC 2019 Annual Report: http://www.fao.org/3/ca9193en/ca9193en.pdf