Championing the contribution of plant health to One Health: IPPC Secretariat engages Group of 77 and China

Rome, 22 November 2024. On the invitation of the Rome Chapter of the Group of 77 (G77) & China, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat engaged members of the Group in an awareness creation session on the importance of plant health in One Health. The secretariat made a presentation highlighting the importance of healthy plants for the wellbeing of humans, animals and the environment, making plant health essential for the One Health approach to managing interconnected human, animal and environmental health risks.

Plants provide about 98 percent of the oxygen we breathe, supply about 80 percent of our food and are a major source of animal feed. Anticipating and managing health risks such as Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is important for ensuring safe food production and thus sustaining human, animal and the environment health.

Arop Deng, Officer in Charge for day-to-day matters at the IPPC Secretariat, highlighted the IPPC's core mission of safeguarding the world’s plants, agricultural systems, and natural resources from the devastating impact of plant pests, therefore protecting global plant health. Pests cause about 40 percent loss of crop yield annually, impacting food and feed security. "All of us have a role to play within One Health Framework, the need to prioritize plant health is clear,” he said.

The G77 & China is a coalition of 134 developing countries that aims to strengthen collective economic interests and international economic cooperation. Its Rome Chapter is committed to addressing issues around the work of the United Nations Rome-Based Agencies — FAO, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and World Food Programme, such as food security, nutrition and agricultural development.

Sarah Brunel, Lead of the Implementation and Facilitation Unit at the IPPC Secretariat highlighted some of the IPPC's work contributing to achieving One Health. The IPPC sets and supports countries to implement the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) which countries use to protect plant health especially in global movement of plants. Application of Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE) - a One Health Tool, helps countries to evaluate their plant health systems and introduce necessary reforms. "IPPC innovations such as the Pest Outbreak Alert and Response System (POARS), a global pest alert mechanism, serves as a 'global watchtower' enabling early pest outbreak detection while the ePhyto Solution facilitates digitization of phytosanitary certificates and makes trade more secure, reducing risks to plant and human health," Brunel said.

She also highlighted an upcoming IPPC initiative called the Plant Health Campus which will provide comprehensive training programmes on various phytosanitary issues and will be freely accessible to plant health specialists worldwide for continued capacity enhancement.

The discussion also spotlighted some key global plant health challenges such as Fusarium TR4 of banana and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The IPPC Secretariat aims to support contracting parties in making informed decisions and policies to prevent and manage the AMR risk in plant health and is currently conducting a survey through the IPPC Observatory, to gather information on countries' use of antimicrobial and antifungal products in plant health. Members of the G77 & China commended the IPPC’s efforts and raised pertinent questions on expanding the One Health framework, ensuring support for developing countries and fostering partnerships.

Khalid Mehboob, Chairperson of theG77 & China thanked the IPPC Secretariat for the insightful presentation and engaging discussion. He underscored the need for continued collaboration and resource mobilization.

Some members invited the IPPC Secretariat to also engage regional groups such as the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) and Asia for further engagement on prioritising plant health in One Health.