IPPC ePhyto Solution - PROGRAMME UPDATES - March 2026

The IPPC ePhyto Solution continues to expand and has reached a major milestone: 100 countries now exchanging phytosanitary certificates live through the ePhyto Hub.

Reaching 100 countries is not only a numerical milestone, but also a responsibility. Sustaining and expanding this adoption requires continued focus on quality, performance, and reliability. Monitoring exchange quality, supporting countries through standardized implementation approaches, and providing timely technical and operational assistance are essential to ensure that ePhyto remains effective, trusted, and impactful.

This growth is clearly reflected in the monthly average exchange volume, which has risen from 250 000 to 300 000 certificates successfully exchanged on average, monthly – a 20 percent increase reflecting sustained and increasing uptake of the platform.

To support this growth, the IPPC Secretariat is focused on refining governance and change management processes, as detailed in the CPM 20 papers, to ensure the system remains responsive and secure.

The IPPC ePhyto Solution is established as the leading global platform for plant health and trade facilitation, supporting trade exchanges and generating tangible cost savings across the globe, as confirmed by the case of the Cook Islands, which has exchanged more than 2 400 ePhytos in 2025, with the system opening doors to new partners like France and the United States.

Updates on implementation of ePhyto by the IPPC Secretariat

The IPPC Secretariat is leading a European Commission-funded project to digitalize phytosanitary trade between the EU and five Central African countries: Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Gabon (the project page: here). The project implements the IPPC ePhyto Solution, leveraging the connection with the EC TRACES-NT system, and includes comprehensive 360-degree approach to strengthening NPPO capacities. This includes the implementation of the Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation, training through IPPC Plant Health Campus, setting up interoperability, and the purchase of IT equipment. Furthermore, the project also promotes collaboration across FAO offices to break down silos and will be implemented in coordination with the FAO Liaison Office with the European Union and Belgium, which will support advocacy and engagement with European partners.

Additionally, with support from the Government of the Netherlands and under the EU Global Gateway project, Angola has officially gone live with the Generic ePhyto National System (GeNS) and successfully started its first ePhyto exchanges.

International Collaboration

The Secretariat has initiated discussions with UNCTAD to explore opportunities for digitally integrating ASYCUDA and National Single Windows with the IPPC ePhyto Solution, expanding interoperability between national agencies and systems, making global digital trade more efficient.

Furthermore, through the Africa Implementation Initiative, a collaborative platform of major trade and phytosanitary partners, the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF) is launching the first ePhyto implementations in Liberia and Sierra Leone, with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

Change management

The ePhyto Steering Group (ESG) convened in February to review ongoing developments, priority enhancements, and implementation progress. Strategic guidance was provided on system evolution, sustainability considerations, and partnership initiatives. All meeting minutes and related documentation are publicly available on the ESG webpage to ensure transparency and facilitate engagement with contracting parties and stakeholders: https://www.ippc.int/en/ephyto/ephyto-steering-group/.

Three coordinated system updates were delivered between October 2025 and March 2026 to strengthen interoperability, data harmonization, and operational reliability across both the ePhyto Hub and the Generic ePhyto National System (GeNS).

The October 2025 Hub release focused on data harmonization and mapping refinements to improve the accuracy and consistency of exchanged certificates. Updates clarified transport data mapping requirements, corrected sample HS code references, and adjusted re-export origin document rules to allow multiple references where applicable. Enhancements were also made to the GeNS onboarding documentation to reflect recent system developments. In addition, harmonization updates to the IPPC-specific packaging codes removed outdated references to prevent the use of non-authorized codes, reinforcing alignment with the agreed international package code list.

The December 2025 GeNS release introduced targeted fixes and usability improvements. These included strengthened connectivity with the Hub, corrections to certificate billing display issues, improved rendering of packaging and quantity fields in certain browser versions, and adjustments to certificate tracking information screens. Packaging code reference lists were further aligned with the latest Hub validation rules and authorized IPPC package code standards, reducing validation errors and enhancing data consistency.

A subsequent GeNS release is scheduled to go live in March 2026, focusing on maintenance, multilingual support, and data alignment. This update includes the configuration of an Arabic multilingual certificate template, updates to commodity reference data in line with the latest EPPO database versions, and technical corrections to ensure proper acknowledgements to the Hub in cases of unhandled incoming data errors.

Collectively, these releases demonstrate continued progress in strengthening system stability, improving user experience, enhancing harmonization of exchanged data, and supporting the reliable expansion of the global ePhyto network.

In January 2026, the ePhyto Solution experienced a temporary service disruption of approximately 33 hours following a technical update related to the renewal of security credentials required to maintain trusted connections between the Hub, GeNS, and national systems. Access for most GeNS users was restored shortly thereafter; a limited number of countries connected through the Hub experienced longer impacts due to differences in national system configurations. The IPPC Secretariat is committed to transparency on this incident and has taken concrete and corrective action. Service reliability remains a priority for maintaining confidence in the IPPC ePhyto Solution. The IPPC Secretariat and its service provider have strengthened change management, communication, and incident handling procedures. Preventive measures now include earlier notification of technical interventions, clearer roles and responsibilities for incident management, improved coordination during change freeze periods, and enhanced assessment of connectivity impacts on national systems. These measures are designed to further reinforce system stability and safeguard uninterrupted service delivery going forward. The full details are set out in the presented report paper submitted to CPM-20.