The IYPH International Steering Committee holds their last meeting of the 2020

Rome, 17 December 2020. Members of the International Steering Committee (ISC) for the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) convened virtually for their 13th meeting. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Ralf Lopian, the IYPH ISC Chairperson, and attended by 25 members and observers and the IYPH Secretariat.

The IYPH ISC also had the pleasure to welcome the renowned garden designer Monty Don, Chef Rodrigo Pacheco and garden designer and TV personality Diarmuid Gavin to the meeting to discuss their roles as IYPH advocates. All the three advocates emphasized the necessity for raising awareness on the importance of healthy plants and for concrete action to preserve the world’s plant resources from pests and diseases.

The IYPH Secretariat informed the participants that the proposal to celebrate 12 May each year as the International Day of Plant Health was endorsed by the 165th session of the FAO Council in December 2020. The ISC noted the update and thanked Zambia for championing the effort and all participants to the Council for their support to the initiative, noting that efforts are needed to secure the proclamation of the Day by the FAO Conference and United Nations General Assembly.

The Secretariat also informed that a call for expression of interest to join the drafting process of the IYPH Youth Declaration has been launched with the deadline of 21 December. The Youth Declaration will provide a platform for the youth to express their ideas for concrete actions on how to achieve plant health globally and involve them in raising awareness of the topic. The drafting committee will convene for the first time in January 2021, and they are expected to publish the declaration, in a chosen format, in April 2021.

The IYPH Secretariat also presented a concept note for the high level launch event of the study report on the impacts of climate change on plant health. The launch event will be organized virtually on 1 June 2021, and will be open for all interested stakeholders. The lead author will provide a presentation of the results and recommendations of the study at the launch, and various other distinguished speakers will be invited to deliver their remarks at the event, including representation from the member states, the youth, climate change entities and research institutions.

The report of the 13th meeting of the IYPH ISC will soon be available at https://www.ippc.int/en/ph/iyphisc/