The 2017 IPPC Regional Workshop for Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Successfully Held in Georgia

IPPC 2017. 2017 IPPC/FAO Regional Workshop participants convene in Tbilisi Georgia.

The 2017 IPPC/FAO Regional Workshop for Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) was held from 5 - 8 September 2017, in Tbilisi, Georgia. The workshop received special support through the FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme as well as the contributions and co-organization from the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU), the FAO Subregional Office for Central Asia (SEC), the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) and the National Food Agency of Georgia.

The workshop was chaired by Mr. Ringoolds Arnitis (EPPO/Latvia), and opened by Mr. Jingyuan Xia (the IPPC Secretary). Mr. Nodar Kereselidze, the Deputy Minister of the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture, presented a welcome address. The workshop was attended by 24 participants from 18 contracting parties of the IPPC, as well as the representatives from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), FAO Headquarters, IPPC Secretariat, CPM Bureau, Standards Committee (SC), Implementation Committee (IC), and the Committee for International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). During the workshop, the implementation of the IPPC Project on Capacity Development under the Framework of FAO-China SSC Programme was officially launched.

The objectives of this workshop were to analyze and provide comments on current draft ISPMs including the International movement of cut flowers and foliage (2008, 005), Requirements for the use of fumigation treatments as a phytosanitary measure (2014, 004), and 2017 Amendments to ISPM5 (Glossary of phytosanitary terms) (1994, 001). The workshop also updated participants on recent developments of the IPPC including activities related to ISPM14 and the Beyond Compliance tool, FAO and IPPC monitoring and evaluation activities related to emerging issues in plant health, the IPPC Secretariat s recent Call on Phytosanitary treatments, as well as FAO and RPPO capacity development activities. Workshop participants actively exchanged their experiences at the regional level with discussion surrounding: a) the benefits of using the Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation tool; b) the International Year of Plant Health scheduled for 2020; c) experiences using the IPP and the phytosanitary.info page; and d) success stories regarding pest control.

Workshop participants communicated positive feedback of their workshop experience. Mr. Corné Van Alphen, CPM Bureau member for Europe emphasized the importance of exchanging views among the participants and the IPPC Secretariat on standards that are under development as well as issues surrounding their implementation. He noted that the regional workshop provides a good opportunity to discuss a broad range of topics that are relevant to the IPPC. Ms. Zorka Prljevic, representative of Montenegro remarked on the unique opportunity the workshop has given smaller countries to express their opinions and influence the adoption of international measures, as well as opportunities for exchanging experiences with other countries.

Russian translations of workshop materials were graciously provided by the All- Russian Plant Quarantine Center. The IPPC and the FAO would like to thank all contributors, and co-organizers for their instrumental contributions and support in making this workshop a success for its participants.

You can find the report of the Workshop for 2017 on the IPPC Regional Workshop webpage.