Brief Biography
Descartes supports the development of international phytosanitary standards by providing technical and organizational guidance to the Standards Committee (SC) and coordinating the SC 7, a seven-member subset of the SC, created to review International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) in detail before they are sent out for member consultation. He coordinates support to key technical bodies, including the Technical Panel on Phytosanitary Treatments (TPPT), the Technical Panel on the Glossary (TPG), and the Experts Working Group (EWG) responsible for revising ISPM 12 – Phytosanitary Certificates (2023 020). Descartes contributes to global plant health initiatives through his support to the CPM Focus Group on Sea Containers, technical assistance to the Africa Phytosanitary Programme (APP), and coordination of the IPPC Regional Workshop for Africa. Before joining the Standards Setting Unit, he spent six years in the Implementation and Facilitation Unit (IFU), where he coordinated the Implementation and Capacity Development Committee (IC), managed IPPC Observatory surveys and supported dispute avoidance, development of implementation materials and collaboration among units at the secretariat. He previously worked with the Ministry of Agriculture of Gabon and the FAO Subregional Office for Central Africa. Descartes has a master’s in environmental management and an Engineer’s degree in Plant Protection and Production. He is fluent in English and French.