IPPC Guides and Training Materials

International travel and trade are greater than ever before. As people & commodities move around the world, organisms that present risks to plants travel with them. Sudden introduction of exotic pests into places where they were not present before can cause a severe food crisis and improtant economic and ecological damage.

This course introduces you to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), an international plant health agreement that aims to protect cultivated and wild plants by preventing the introduction and spread of pests by setting international standards to harmonize phytosanitary measures that would facilitate safe international trade At the end on the course, you will be able to:

Explain the impact of pests and diseases to the environment, livelihoods and food security Describe the core components and mechanisms of the IPPC

The preparation of a national phytosanitary capacity development strategy requires a very clear understanding of the term phytosanitary capacity. The definition takes into account the ability of individuals, organizations and systems of a country to perform effectively and sustainably in order to protect plant and plant products from pests and to facilitate trade.

As an outcome of the eleventh session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM 11) in 2016, the IPPC was requested to develop a Guide for Resource Mobilization to help contracting parties to identify and access sources of funding and assistance to support their national phytosanitary activities. Contracting parties to the IPPC, like members of other conventions and international agreements face broad challenges and priorities on their available funding, which often results in certain sectors, such as plant health, not having a sufficient resource allocation. This Guide is the first step to help contracting parties enhance their capacity to mobilize funds, with a particular focus on building long term sustainable funding, resource partnerships and targeting areas where there is the greatest need for resources to achieve the greatest impact. This Guide includes principles, approach and examples of potential partners for resource mobilization.

This resource presents a guide for establishing a plant pest diagnostic laboratory. This resource aims to provide information to support the establishment, operation and maintenance of diagnostic laboratories and services in order to support national phytosanitary systems. The guide covers the work of official laboratories providing diagnostic services to national plant protection organization (NPPO) procedures such as surveillance, pest risk analysis, export certification and import verificaion. The guide is organized into two main sections and a third information section. The first section considers the operational basis of the laboratory and the hard and soft infrastructure needed to deliver diagnostic services. The second section considers the stages through which a sample progresses through the diagnostic process, from initial reception through to the final fate of the sample. In section three, the guide suggests sources of information and expertise that NPPOs may wish to use. The Plant Pest Diagnostic guide is available in English.

This is the Guide to National Reporting Obligations. It offers assistance on how to upload and update NRO reports on the IPP and includes CPM approved NRO procedures and nomination forms for the IPPC Official Contact Point and IPP editor.

• This resource presents a guide to understanding the principal requirements for establishing an organization to protect national plant resources from pests. This resource aims to provide information to support the establishment of a functional national plant protection organization (NPPO) as the competent and legally responsible body for regulatory plant protection functions, as outlined in the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). It acknowledges that most countries already have an organization in place and that the choice of a new or updated model for that organization is the responsibility of the contracting party. The guide therefore addresses the key elements and considerations that contracting parties may use to review and upgrade their NPPOs with respect to fulfilling the functions outlined by the IPPC.

This resource presents a guide to understanding the principal requirements for operating an organization to protect national plant resources from pests. This resource provides information on the operational procedures and actions required of a functional national plant protection organization (NPPO). It suggests an overall strategic framework and outlines the main areas to consider when operating and managing core programmes. In addition, the guide describes the supporting environment (including the stakeholders) needed by an NPPO to maintain the required level of efficiency, effectiveness and acceptability of phytosanitary activities.

This resource presents a guide to phytosanitary aspects of managing relationships with stakeholders. The main objective of this guide is to provide guidance on the kinds of stakeholder relations that can be established and maintained by national plant protection organizations. The intention is to encourage the establishment and development of public–private partnerships and to promote coordination among non-phytosanitary public sector stakeholders, such as foreign ministries and authorities for trade, standards and the environment.

This resource presents a guide to import verification as an aspect of the broader subject of import regulation. This guide sets the stage or basis for import verification and provides guidance to national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) on the operation of an import verification system, the process of import verification, the requirements for import verification and pathways that should be considered. The guide discusses seven key areas including import requirements, the import verification framework, phytosanitary measures for imported consignments, audit and compliance procedures, national legislation, import pathways and non-compliances.

Fall Armyworm (FAW) is a transboundary pest that has increasingly spread around the world over the last few years, affecting food security in many countries in Africa, the Near East, Asia and the Pacific. To respond to this global threat and scale-up international efforts to reduce the spread of FAW worldwide, FAO launched a three-year Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control, which puts new emphasis on prevention. As the international standards setting body for plant health, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is called upon to play a crucial role in implementing the global action and reduce the risk of further introduction of FAW into new territories.

The International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) no. 6 (Guidelines for surveillance) refers to the components of survey and monitoring systems for the purpose of pest detection and the supply of information for use in pest risk analyses, the establishment of pest free areas and, where appropriate, the preparation of pest lists”. A national plant pest surveillance programme should be conducted in line with this standard to ensure that its results are accurate, credible and contribute to national goals and priorities. This guide addresses aspects of policy and management, which together should outline the rationale for the establishment of a national plant pest surveillance programme. This 2nd edition is aligned with the revised ISPM6 (Surveillance) was adopted in 2018.

This guide describes the steps that national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) should follow when determining the status of a pest in an area, starting with identifying the pest and the area under consideration. It provides guidance on gathering and evaluating information, assessing sources of uncertainty, and how to use pest records and other relevant information to determine whether a pest is absent or present in the area and then to select the appropriate pest status category, as described in ISPM 8 (Determination of pest status in an area). This includes guidance on determining whether a pest is expected to establish in an area, and whether it is widely distributed or under official control. The guide describes the responsibilities of NPPOs when determining the status of pests within their territories, the requirements for national legislation to support actions relevant to pest status and how pest status determination fits within the international phytosanitary framework. It also describes how the outcomes of pest status determination may be used to support other key activities, such as preparing regulated pest lists, pest reporting, and securing or maintaining market access. Finally, the guide provides a number of case studies from around the world that highlight different aspects of the pest status determination process and how NPPOs deal with particular issues. By providing a deeper understanding of the process and the factors that should be considered when determining pest status, the guide aims to improve consistency in the processes used by NPPOs to make pest status determinations.

The purpose of the Guide is to support national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) who wish to establish and maintain pest free areas (PFA) including places and/or production sites (PFPP and PFPS) as well as areas of low pest prevalence (ALPP). To facilitate an understanding of the processes to establish and maintain PFAs and ALPPs, a diagram in the form of a decision tree was constructed that identifies and outlines five general phases of programme development as follows: initiation, feasibility, establishment, maintenance, and market access phases. The guide is then divided into corresponding sections that describe what the key elements of each phase are, why these elements are important, what some of the common challenges and pitfalls are, and factors that may influence the success of the different phases such as budget stability, public outreach, availability of good survey and control tools, and open engagement with stakeholders and trading partners. By providing a deeper understanding of the factors that should be considered when establishing a PFA, PFPP, PFPS or ALPP the guide aims to overcome the challenges and maximize the impact of these efforts to the benefit of all parties. The guide concludes by providing a number of case studies from around the world that highlight successful PFA and ALPP programmes and how they deal with particular key issues. This guide contains current experience and the most advanced phytosanitary procedures in the implementation of PFA and ALPP, however, it is subjected to revision and updates as new developments are made available.

This e-learning is intended mainly for Official Contact Points of the International Plant Protection Convention contracting parties and their International Phytosanitary Portal (IPP) editors. It is also recommended for other phytosanitary specialists involved in reporting at national level.

This IPPC Guidance identifies the key parties involved in the international container supply chains, and describes their roles and responsibilities for minimizing visible pest contamination of sea containers and their cargoes, and best practices they may follow to meet that objective.

The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) aims to secure coordinated, effective action to prevent and to control the introduction and spread of pests of plants and plant products. This is achieved through the development and implementation of phytosanitary policies and activities. At a country scale, such activities are the responsibility of the national plant protection organization (NPPO), which is the official service established by a government to discharge the functions specified by the IPPC. While an NPPO has responsibility for phytosanitary actions, it cannot operate in isolation and relies on engagement with other government bodies, the private sector and civil society to protect plant health.

This resource presents a guide to the establishment and operation of a phytosanitary export certification system. The main objective of this document is to provide a practical guide for managers of national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) establishing a national phytosanitary export certification system, by using appropriate procedures for credible certification and accountability. This guide also addresses aspects of the implementation of international standards for phytosanitary measures (ISPM) no. 7 (Phytosanitary certification system) by providing specific guidance for NPPOs on the requirements and components of a phytosanitary certification system and no. 12 (Phytosanitary certificates) covering the requirements and guidelines for the preparation and issuance of phytosanitary certificates (both for export and for re-export).

This resource presents a guide to support participants attending the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM). The main objectives of this guide is to provide guidance on how to prepare, participate and follow up from the CPM, outline specific characteristics of the CPM and how to prepare for these specific features, present an overview of the IPPC organizational structure and clarify the various procedural processes involved in facilitating international phytosanitary policy. The guide also highlights that CPM is not the only way to participate in IPPC activities. Contracting parties have a wide range of actions at their disposal to facilitate their active participation in IPPC process and decisions.

These supplementary resources are for contracting party use to prepare for attending the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) and other IPPC meetings.

This guide provides information for NPPOs on situations of consignments in transit. It has been developmed to provide information to help NPPOs to: identify whether the consgnment in transit poses a phytosanitary risk manage the risk appropriately. This information highlights that management measures shoudl be based on phytosanitary risk. This means that if there is no phytosanitary risk identified, there is no need for phytosanitary measures to be in place.

The guide is geared towards national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) to provide information and context on phytosanitary aspects of market access negotiations. The primary purpose of this guide is to describe a process that can be followed to gain market access with the least hindrance to trade and, at the same time, preventing the introduction and spread of pests into new areas.

The course provides information for the trade in forest commodities and the role of phytosanitary measures

The course covered the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) on Pest Risk Analysis and focused on quarantine pests and the basic principles established in the IPPC. It was designed to be an introductory course, providing practical guidance that could be transferred easily to any NPPO or RPPO that wished to implement it.

Three international standards for phytosanitary measures (ISPMs) on pest risk analysis (PRA) have been developed and adopted by the Commision on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) : ISPM No. 2 (2007): Framework for pest risk analysis ISPM No. 11 (2004): Pest risk analysis for quarantine pests ISPM No. 21 (2004): Pest risk analysis for regulated non-quarantine pests. To help countries understand and implement these standards, an international advisory group of PRA experts was established to develop a training course and training materials designed to increase countries' understanding of PRA standards and capacity to conduct PRA.

• The IPPC Guidelines on Sea Container Surveys provide guidance to national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) on how to inspect and record contamination details in a consistent and harmonized manner when undertaking the sea container cleanliness surveys.