The IPPC is an international treaty that applies to most nations involved with international trade in any commodity that could introduce a new plant pest into a new area; in other words, it is applicable to all trans-boundary movements of plants and plant products.

It is in the interest of all nations to be contracting parties to the Convention: membership means they can play an active part in developing international standards that help to protect their exported and imported goods.

Exchanging technical and official phytosanitary information is vital to the Convention’s effective implementation. The IPPC Web site — the IPP — acts as a forum for information exchange, and parties and the IPPC Secretariat use it to meet IPPC reporting obligations by publishing documents or providing links to outside Web pages.

The Convention identifies certain types of information countries are required to report to other contracting parties, to the IPPC Secretariat and/or to RPPOs:

• IPPC Official Contact Points (Art. VIII.2)
• Official pest report (Art. VIII.1a)
• Description of the NPPO (Art. IV.4)
• Phytosanitary Restrictions/Legislation (Art. VII.2b)
• Entry points (Art. VII.2d)
• List of regulated pests (Art. VII.2i)
• Emergency actions (Art. VII.6)

The Convention identifies some other reporting that should be carried out on request. This is usually bilateral in nature, but this information can also be made available through the IPPC Web site:

• Non-compliance (Art. VII.2f)
• Organizational arrangements of plant protection (Art. IV.4)
• Pest status (Art. VII.2j)
• Rationale for phytosanitary requirements (Art. VII.2c)

The IPPC Web site also provides a means for NPPOs to communicate information regarding the establishment of pest free areas and the implementation of ISPMs:

• Pest free areas
• Implementation of ISPM 15

Note that the parties have control over and are responsible for this information.