The 9th IYPH ISC meeting convened virtually to continuously advance delivery of the IYPH during the Covid-19 pandemic

Rome, 25 June - The 9th meeting of the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) International Steering Committee (ISC) was held virtually to continuously advance delivery of the IYPH during the Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting was chaired by Mr Ralf Lopian, the IYPH-ISC Chair, opened by Mr Jingyuan Xia, IPPC Secretary, and attended by 38 participants and observers from IYPH ISC, FAO-regional officers and the IYPH Secretariat.

In his opening remarks, IPPC Secretary Xia highlighted the recent top developments in the implementation of the IYPH action plan. So far, eleven countries have issued IYPH stamps, and two countries have minted the IYPH coins. The nominees for the IYPH Ambassadors will be announced soon. The CPM Bureau has decided at its third meeting that the International Day of Plant Health (IDPH), championed by Zambia, should take place on 12 May each year. The final decision for the proclamation of the IDPH is expected to take place at UN General Assembly in September 2021.

During the meeting, the new dates for the International Plant Health Conference in Helsinki have been confirmed to be 28-30 June 2021. As decided at the 8th ISC meeting, the Helsinki Conference will be followed by a closing ceremony of the IYPH on 1 July 2021. The combination of these two events in Helsinki not only saves time and facility, but also allows to facilitate travel arrangements in a time when travelling restrictions make multiple missions difficult to justify.

The ISC also discussed IYPH resources mobilization as well as the IYPH communications plan. The ISC requested the IYPH Secretariat to prepare a draft budget for the IDPH to be discussed at its 10th meeting. The IYPH Secretariat informed the ISC members that both the activity book and the art/drawing competition for children have been launched.

The IYPH ISC 9th meeting report will soon be available at https://www.ippc.int/en/ph/iyphisc/