Protecting plants from pest in the Pacific Islands: A 2018 IPPC Regional Workshop

Rarotonga, Cook Islands - Ngatoko Ngatoko, Director of Biosecurity, Ministry of Agriculture, watches a cargo ship leave port. The IPPC helps protects plants from pests while facilitating trade. ©FAO/Sue Price

22 August 2018, Fiji - Countries in the Pacific Islands recognize the urgency of protecting their plants from pests, while facilitating trade in plants and agricultural products. To address this challenge, harmonized international standards and strong regional capacity in implementing them are crucial. A 2018 regional workshop on these topics was thus held in Nadi, Fiji from 20 to 22 August 2018.

It is important for representatives from the National Plant Protection Organizations in the Pacific region to get together to discuss and formulate comments on the draft standards to make them more relevant to their region. This workshop gave them an opportunity to get updates on activities the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Community is involved with; help build each other s capacity; and engage in dialogue with IPPC representatives in the region and from the secretariat, said Brent Larson, Implementation and Facilitation Unit lead in the IPPC Secretariat.

The workshop was attended by 33 participants from 13 countries and territories and the IPPC Secretariat. It was organized by the IPPC Secretariat and the Pacific Plant Protection Organization (PPPO).

Topics of special interest in the region were discussed. These included:

• The implementation of the standard for the international movement of seeds (ISPM 38)
• Updates on actions to better manage the phytosanitary risks associated with sea containers
• How to better engage indigenous people in developing government policies

For more information, please see:

• Workshop report for the 2018 IPPC Regional Workshop for the Pacific Islands (coming soon)
• Regional Workshop Presentations