The 5th CPM Strategic Planning Group SPG) Meeting Held in Rome

The 5th CPM Strategic Planning Group (SPG) meeting was held in Rome from 4-6 October 2016, with the theme IPPC Contribution to Achieving UN SDGs for 2030 Agenda. The meeting was chaired by Mr Francisco Javier Trujillo Arriaga (Mexico), the Vice CMP Bureau Chair, and opened by Mr Jingyuan Xia, the IPPC Secretary. Over 30 participants attended the meeting, who came from more than over 25 IPPC contracting parties as well as all team leaders of the IPPC Secretariat. The SPG elected both Ms Mable Mudenda (Zambia) and Mr Lucien Kouame Konan (Côte d Ivoire) as Rapporteurs.

The CPM Chairperson, Ms Lois Ransom (Australia), provided an update on CPM 11 and the June CPM Bureau meeting. The Chairperson noted that the IPPC needs to plan how to bring the organization together into One IPPC. She emphasized the importance of the SPG meeting to set the way forward for the future. The Chair noted the great progress made by the IPPC Secretariat in their budgeting effort and emphasized that thinking outside of the box during the week is necessary.

The IPPC Secretary, Mr Xia, made a keynote address on the IPPC s contributions to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 agenda. This resulted in a depth discussion on the future direction of the IPPC towards 2030. Two active working groups worked on the IPPC strategic framework for 2020-2030, and the prioritization of the IPPC core activities. The group discussions brought about many suggestions for the development of initial outline of the IPPC Strategic Framework for 2020 - 2030. The SPG agreed on milestones for the development of this framework and identified the involvement of as many stakeholders as possible before possible final adoption in 2020.

The SPG then discussed a range of topics that included: the immediate funding for emerging issues, short- and long-term funding options, a potential donors conference, developments towards the International Year of Plant Health in 2020 (including a possible associated ministers meeting), the IPPC Thematic Years in 2017 and 2018, the proposed Implementation Committee s (IC) terms of reference, the revision of the existing CPM Recommendations, global plant health and the possibility of an annual phytosanitary conference, phytosanitary treatments, the next steps on sea containers, progress with the ePhyto project, the updated framework for standards and implementation, and international cooperation (including the relationship with the World Customs Organization - WCO).

The full report of the 5th SPG meeting will be posted on the IPP soon.