A clearer governance structure and new strategic directions: Highlights from the IPPC Implementation and Capacity Development Committee meeting

Participants at the third IPPC Implementation and Capacity Development Committee meeting in Rome. © FAO

30 November 2018, Rome - The third meeting of the IPPC Implementation and Capacity Development Committee (IC) was held between 26 and 30 November 2018 at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy. The meeting addressed the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) request to establish a clear management and governance structure for this new committee established in 2017. New strategies to enhance high priority IC activities such as the Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE), the development of guides and training materials, phytosanitary capacity development projects, collaboration between the IC and the Standards Committee, and improved web-based information were discussed.

The meeting was chaired by Ms Olga Lavrentjeva - IC Chair and Advisor at the Plant Health Department from the Ministry of Rural Affairs of the Republic of Estonia - and opened by the IPPC Secretary, Mr Jingyuan Xia.

Governance of the Implementation and Capacity Development Committee

The IC agreed to submit the IC Sub-groups Rules of Procedure (ROP) to the CPM-14 (2019) via the CPM Bureau. The IC also agreed on the following two documents:

• Terms of Reference for the IC Sub-group for the Implementation Review and Support System (IRSS)

• Terms of Reference for the IC Sub-group on Dispute Avoidance and Settlement (DAS)

As requested by the IC, the IPPC Secretariat will issue a call for members for the IC Sub-group on Dispute Avoidance and Settlement (DAS).

Moreover, the IC approved the first version of the Procedure Manual for Implementation and Capacity Development (PM-ICD). The main purpose of the manual is to ensure that ICD activities will be consistently delivered in a transparent way.

The IC s Terms of Reference (TOR) and Rules of Procedure (ROP) were discussed to assure their better interpretation and harmonization with other IPPC governing and subsidiary bodies - such as the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) and the Standards Committee (SC). However, the IC decided to gain more experience before revising them and agreed to revisit them at their November 2019 meeting.

Reporting on phytosanitary projects

Phytosanitary projects related to implementation and capacity development were also discussed. Observers from different organizations - such as CABI International, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Imperial College of London, Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) and FAO Sub-regional offices - as well as IC members and the IPPC Secretariat shared their experiences regarding their projects. Ways to Improve the IC project reporting function will be examined in more depth at the next meeting in May 2019.

The Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE) Strategy

Participants reviewed the draft Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE) Strategy. A small group of IC members will continue drafting the strategy and observers with expertise on PCE implementation will be invited to provide inputs.

Other outcomes of the meeting include:

• The analysis of the Surveillance pilot project was reviewed and agreed upon. The results of the analysis will be presented to the CPM-14 (2019).

• The IC reviewed the recommendations developed by the Task Force on Topics on the submissions from the 2018 joint Call for Topics: Standards and Implementation.

• The strategy and process for developing IPPC guides and training materials were approved.

The report of the meeting, once finalized, will be posted on the IPPC website at: https://www.ippc.int/en/core-activities/capacity-development/capacity-development-committee/