Protecting Plants, Protecting Life

We, young people from 26 organizations, with the purpose ofsupporting the role of plant health in achieving the 2030 Agendafor Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development ² Goals (SDGs), guided by the missions and objectivesof our respective institutions, with the intention of improvingthe conditions of marginalized groups and those vulnerable torisks, in the spirit of leaving no one behind and in the pursuitof ensuring a sustainable future for all life on Earth, inspiredby the message of the International Year of Plant Health, addressingall governments, organizations, private sector entities,academic and research institutions, civil society organizationsand citizens all of nations, demand that the comprehensiveand transformative actions set out in this declaration be implementedglobally in accordance with standing internationalcommitments.

We reaffirm that plants are the foundation for all life on Earth,including human life in all its dimensions, with particular attentionto the progressive realization of every person’s right to anadequate standard of living. This includes an adequate accessto food in the context of national food security, as recalled byArticle 25 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Articles2 and 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Socialand Cultural Rights. Therefore, protecting plants meansprotecting life.

Today, young people everywhere are realizing that youngergenerations are likely to be the most affected by the consequencesof climate change, such as extreme weather events,persistent global loss of biodiversity and the unprecedentedspread of diseases among humans, animals and plants alike.We must remember that the Earth is not given by our parentsbut borrowed from future generations. We must therefore workcollectively to ensure its sustainability.

We highlight the importance of involving young people in decision-making processes in all fora, particularly in those contextswhere younger generations are often marginalized, despitebeing the most affected by a failure to achieve the SDGs. Weacknowledge that actions negatively affecting global and localecosystems are often a consequence of decisions taken outsideof appropriate inclusive, multilateral and cooperative fora.

Youth inclusion is key to the successful implementation of the2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly whenaddressing the contribution of plant health to SDGs 1, 2, 8, 12,13, 15 and 17. We are prepared to contribute our innovativeideas, passion and energy to ensure the planet’s resources –especially plants – are sustainably safeguarded. These are thefoundations of a path leading to a better, peaceful and inclusivefuture for everyone.

We share the principles of the Charter of United Nations whenaddressing these pressing matters, particularly those expressedin Article 55 on “higher standards of living” to create“solutions of international economic, social, health, and relatedproblems; and international cultural and educationalcooperation” ³. Similarly, we are inspired by the resolution ofthe General Assembly of the United Nations declaring 2020the International Year of Plant Health stating that “sustainingplant health protects the environment, forests and biodiversityfrom plant pests, addresses the effects of climate change,and supports efforts to end hunger, malnutrition and povertyand boosts economic development, and that the protection ofplant health from pests is a key factor in strategies to eliminatehunger and rural poverty”⁴.

It is in this spirit that we set forth this Declaration of our sharedvisions, commitments and recommendations.

1  The connection of plant health to climate change, food security and One Health

• Noting that plant pests and diseases may pose a serious threat to food security by damaging crops, thus reducing the availability of food and increasing its cost, we call for attention to the importance of plant health to environmental, human and animal health. As such, we call for specific phytosanitary measures to be included in the One Health approach by 2030;
• We advocate for political, corporate and civil commitment towards raising current environmental standards, particularly on plant health, and also in the light of better mitigating the impact of and adaptation to climate change, considering that its transboundary effects increase the risk of food insecurity, biodiversity loss, soil degradation and desertification globally, affecting marginalised groups and those vulnerable to risks the most. Therefore, we encourage all leaders and stakeholders to develop a unified phytosanitary agenda in line with IPPC standards to be implemented by states by 2030;
• We demand for political, corporate and civil commitment towards raising current environmental standards, particularly on plant health, and also in the light of better mitigating the impact of and adaptation to climate change, considering that its transboundary effects increase the risk of food insecurity, biodiversity loss, soil degradation and desertification globally, affecting marginalised groups and those vulnerable to risks the most. Therefore, we encourage all leaders and stakeholders to develop a unified phytosanitary agenda in line with IPPC standards to be implemented by states by 2030; promote enhanced phytosanitary research, and call for establishment of a mechanism for global phytosanitary research coordination to accelerate collaboration and efforts in high-quality science, to align goals and to optimize the use of resources, and overall encourage stakeholders to implement innovative strategies by 2030;
• We request the inclusion of an indicator on plant health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, noting that existing indicators account for plant health only implicitly and instrumentally to other purposes. We reaffirm the importance of acquiring reliable, consistent and accurate data on the state of plants in the world by 2030.

2  Biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and pest management

• We call for the strengthening of plant health through the use of sustainable agricultural practices that promote food security and sovereignty as well as shared societal prosperity and the banning of harmful subsidies for monocultures and pest management practices undermining global plant health and food chains – as stated in FAO’s The State of Food and Agriculture 2016;
• We encourage the strengthening and monitoring of early warning systems for plant pests and therefore call for the establishment of a harmonized alert system to prevent and mitigate the introduction of invasive alien species across borders that may alter ecosystem balance, outcompete endemic and vulnerable plant species and affect biodiversity hotspots;
• We call for a coordinated implementation of global strategies to promote and help build capacities around integrated pest management practices and to steer away from using long-lived chemicals that contaminate our soils, water and bodies;
• We call for the urgent transformation of agricultural and pest management practices to more sustainable practices, in the interest of safeguarding indigenous and rural livelihoods, particularly threatened by the spread of pests and diseases into their territories;
• We, aware of the tight linkages between plant health, trophic systems and planet health, call also on the private sector and governments to raise ambition for biodiversity-preserving investments and activities, and to radically transform extractive practices eroding our natural and plant resources, the backbones of life on Earth, for instance by promoting sustainable finance principles in line with IPPC principles by 2030.

3  Indigenous peoples and local communities that offer plant protection strategies

• We call for a stronger recognition, protection and promotion of local and ancestral systems of knowledge, cultures and languages that encompass ancestral methodologies and knowledge to safeguard plant systems, plant diversity and plant health;
• We reaffirm the duty of all stakeholders – nationally and locally – to contribute in preserving indigenous knowledge systems, classification schemes and local languages related to plant health through adequate mechanisms, which will need to be identified on a case-by-case basis.

4  People vulnerable to risks and their significance in maintaining plant health

• We demand that governments at all levels foster the active inclusion of women and girls in decision-making processes around the management of natural and plant resources;
• We defend land tenure rights and seek prior and informed consent from Indigenous peoples and local communities’ landowners for a just management of the landscape;
• We reaffirm the importance of existing seed banks in supporting plant health and encourage their expansion and accessibility for groups that are marginalised and vulnerable to risks. We particularly note the relevance of storing local seeds and neglected and underutilized species (NUS), which often represent the sole means of subsistence in many rural communities;
• We strongly encourage the international community and all stakeholders to acknowledge the pivotal role of women in small-scale agriculture and family farming and their contribution to plant health, particularly in preserving local cultures and sustaining NUS continuation, and take the necessary actions to ensure the necessary legislation is in place to protect their rights and ensure equitable opportunities;
• We urge governments to include a comprehensive and coherent rights-based approach to plant health policies and initiatives at the national level in full alignment with the principles of intergenerational equity and gender-responsiveness, ensuring the full and effective participation of young people, women, Indigenous peoples and local communities by 2030.

5  Global phytosanitary regulations, responsible economic growth and trade

• We highlight the relevance of harmonised phytosanitary measures for the international trade of plants and plant products and stress the importance of complying with international plant health standards produced under the aegis of the IPPC;
• We particularly emphasise the importance of enhanced international cooperation to strengthen phytosanitary capacities globally, regionally and nationally. Therefore, we invite the relevant international organizations to implement the necessary reforms to foster biodiversity conservation and environmental health;
• We demand the private sector’s full transparency by further improving their current reporting mechanisms on agricultural value chains, in close cooperation with local, national, regional and international authorities to implement agricultural practices promoting plant health and biodiversity sustainably by 2030;
• We ask all actors involved in the international trade of plants and plant products to commit to the full application of the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures, which safeguard plant resources globally while facilitating safe trade;
• We encourage the contracting parties to the IPPC to include the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures in their respective national legislations as well as to continue participating actively in dialogues in the global plant health community;
• We invite the governments that have not yet signed or ratified the IPPC to consider joining the dialogues in the global plant health community through formal adherence.

6  Strengthened plant health education, capacity building and development

• We call for a transformative shift in education that addresses the linkages between plant health and biodiversity loss, with the purpose of creating solutions for sustainable agriculture and effective prevention of plant pests and diseases. We particularly stress the need to focus on the importance of plant health for food security and sustainable development across formal and informal education systems;
• We encourage strongly young people to participate and engage in current local, national, regional and international dialogues on plant health with their respective expertise, positions and experiences contributing to any solutions that promote plant health in connection with food security, climate change, sustainable agriculture and safe trade, as well as any other relevant topic;
• We highlight the necessity for the sustainable implementation as well as the improvement of national phytosanitary capacity while recognising the differences of each national context;
• We call for a global effort on knowledge transfer and incentives supporting smallholder farmers in the transition to sustainable agriculture methods;
• We urge all stakeholders to integrate plant health research into all phytosanitary training programmes by 2030.

7  Redirecting capital flows, funding and mobilization of the private and public sectors to support healthy plants

• We highlight the need to continue funding plant quarantine systems and pest risk management applications at the national level by the international community, particularly in favour of those countries that may be lacking the necessary resources to preserve plant health at the national level;
• We invite donors to increase their levels of contribution to programmes promoting plant health, particularly in relation to prevention of plant pests and diseases and to coordinated scientific research to that end, with the aim of continuing to improve phytosanitary capacities at the national level, ensuring adequate staffing and provision of equipment;
• We demand that funding for protection of plant health increase three-fold by 2030.

As representatives of international youth organizations, we make this statement and propose the aforementioned overarching principles in order to leverage our voices of concern and call, in an organized manner, for transformative action across all sectors.

• Agriwin Company Ltd
• Baho Nanjye Mbeho Company Ltd
• “El Estuario” project
• Forestry & Citrus Research Company (FACIR)
• Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN)
• Habitat World
• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Youth Network (IYN)
• Jamaica 4-H Clubs
• Lipu – Birdlife Italia (Lega italiana protezione uccelli)
• Réseau National des Jeunes Ruraux pour le Financement Inclusif de l’Entreprenariat Rural (RJRFIER)
• Rwanda Youth in Agribusiness Forum (RYAF)
• “Save Our House” project
• SDG 2 Constituency, Major Group for Children and Youth
• Stewardship Agribusiness Incubation Center (SAIC)
• Talent Upgrade Global Concept
• The Institute of Genetics, Physiology and Plant Protection (IGPPP) of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova; Center of Plant Protection
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Major Group for Children and Youth
• University of Banja Luka, Faculty of Agriculture
• WHYFARM
• World Food Forum – powered by global youth
• World Food Programme (WFP) Youth Network
• Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD)
• Youth Alliance for Zero Hunger
• Youth Committee of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
• Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL)
• Youth Sensitization, Development in Agropastoral and Marketing Cooperative Society (YOSDAMAC)

The IYPH Youth Declaration was encouraged by the IYPH International Steering Committee (IYPH ISC), which was in charge of guiding and advancing the implementation of the IYPH action plan. The youth declaration is one of the legacies of the IYPH. The idea of the declaration is to unite the voices of those both young and young-at-heart in bringing forward their views on the role of healthy plants in achieving the SDGs, in expressing their ideas for concrete actions on how to achieve plant health globally and to involve young people in raising awareness of the topic.

By coming together as 26 organizations representing various backgrounds, we aim to structure the voice of children and young people and best represent your interests and concerns.

We are happy to know your thoughts about this declaration and you may contact us at [email protected]. We invite you to share this declaration widely across your networks and encourage you to adopt these principles as guidance for a sustainable and responsible relationship with plants and natural entities on Earth.