Food Systems and Plant Health webinar observes end of the International Year of Plant Health

Rome, 29 June 2021.The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat launched the first webinar of the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) webinar series: Paving the way to the International Plant Health Conference 2022. Concluding the IYPH campaign, the webinar series links the IPPC community to the International Plant Health Conference, which is expected to take place in 2022, as it aligns with the IPPC Strategic Framework 2020 – 2030, recently adopted by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM).

The series of virtual events seeks to engage the international community on the importance of plant health as the IYPH concludes on 1 July and connects with a proposed declaration of the International Day of Plant Health on 12 May, to be further endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly at the end of 2021.

The first webinar titled ‘Food Systems and Plant Health’ was opened by Ralf Lopian, Chairperson of the IYPH International Steering Committee (IYPH ISC). The first keynote speaker Thanawat Tiensin, Chairperson of the Committee on Food Security, specified how “plant and animal health are critical for resilient food systems, food security and nutrition, for healthy people and planet” and summarised the importance and interconnections of plant health for all. Following the keynote speaker was a video message by Carlo Gaudio, President of CREA (Italy).

The first of two panel sessions was moderated by Ralf Lopian, on the panellists delivered presentations on ‘The Relation Between Plant Health and Food Security’ with presenters from various international organizations and youth groups, among which there was Lina Yu, representative of the World Food Forum. Her topic underlined the importance of plant health in the One Health approach and how “engaging the youth today is key to building One Health tomorrow” to highlight the importance of youth involvement in future developments of said matters. The first panel saw the active engagement and participation of the audience with all panellists in a lively question-and-answer session.

The second session discussed technical aspects related to ‘Plant Health Tools for Sustainable Food Systems’, moderated by Arop Deng, lead of the Integration and Support Team at the IPPC Secretariat. Again, various panellists spoke on different approaches in the plenary session that showcased practical examples of plant health programs implemented by regions including Africa, North America, and Latin America and Caribbean. During this session, the importance of plant health for global food security was once again emphasized. “Ninety percent of the world’s calorie intake depends on just fifteen crops”, said Alan MacLeod, International Pest Risk Research Group (IPRRG) member, adding that “protecting plants from pests is critical for food security, public health and well-being”.

The IYPH ISC Chairperson concluded the successful webinar, attended by over two hundred participants from all over the world. Mr Lopian underlined that “food security depends largely on healthy plants and plant health affects all five action tracks of the UN Food System Summit. Therefore, including plant health considerations and the IPPC international standards in food security dialogues within FAO and the UN Food System Summit is key.” He highlighted the importance of collaboration amongst all stakeholders and stressed the importance of trade for food security, as well as the role of the IPPC within the One Health approach and in prioritising prevention also in plant health policies.

More information:

The IYPH webinar on Food Systems and Plant Heath

Recording of the event

Photo gallery

International Year of Plant Health