Strengthening Plant Health Emergency Management Capacities project

Strengthening Plant Health Emergency Management Capacities project (OSRO/GLO/208/USA)

Budget: USD 600.000 (total) (100.000 for the Phytosanitary component) Start: June 2022 End: June 2023

The international movement of people and plants in the globalized economy and the fast-changing climate increases the risk of spreading plant pests worldwide, with potentially severe consequences for agricultural production, environmental protection, market access and food security. The FAO Emergency Management Centre for Animal Health (EMC-AH) is FAO’s Emergency Operational Centre (EOC) for animal health and zoonotic events. The Centre is equipped to provide a platform, tools, and coordination expertise to support governments in preparing, preventing and limiting the spread of animal disease threats and leads emergency management. Such an emergency coordination mechanism and related preparedness and response tools can be tailored to plant health emergency management specificities.

In 2021 EMC-AH and the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures Focus Group on Pest Outbreak Alert and Response Systems (CPM FG POARS) recommended that alert and response systems and tools that have been developed to address animal health emergencies be tailored to reflect and support plant health emergency management specificities. Consequently, it is expected that the project, in the longer term, will contribute to ensuring capacity for countries requesting improved preparedness and responsiveness to any incursion of plant pests while ensuring food security and social stability in FAO members states.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) approached FAO’s EMC-AH to fund the adaptation of these emergency management tools and systems to plant health. FAO EMC-AH coordinated with the IPPC Secretariat and the Plant Production and Protection Unit (NSP) Emergency Prevention System (EMPRES) for transboundary pests and diseases staff to draft a project proposal.

The IC reviewed the project proposal Strengthening Plant Health Emergency Management Capacities and agreed that it is aligned with the IPPC strategic objectives, has strategic value and a competitive advantage. The project accounts for the following three core phytosanitary activities:

1. Current plant health emergency management coordination systems are analyzed, and major gaps are identified.
2. Tools for managing and preparing for plant health emergencies are developed, and contingency plans for response are formulated to ensure the readiness of FAO members states, benefiting from the animal health expertise in emergency management.
3. Plant health emergency management capacities of FAO member countries are strengthened, especially for countries requesting support to address transboundary plant pests and diseases.

The expected results of the project are:

• Knowledge, processes and expertise available within the EMC for operational activities on plant health;
• Guidelines and innovative tools are developed to improve the management of plant health emergencies’ operation;
• Enhanced preparedness and response capacities of FAO member countries to address plant health emergencies;
• Enhanced awareness of the agricultural sector on best practices to increase readiness capacities and ensure EOC services through stakeholders’ engagement to ensure food security, environmental protection, and access to markets in the face of plant health threats.