International Plant Protection Convention (IPCC)

• The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is an intergovernmental treaty signed by over 180 countries, aiming to protect the world’s plant resources from the spread and introduction of pests, and promoting safe trade.
• The Convention introduced International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) as its main tool to achieve its goals, making it the sole global standard setting organization for plant health
• The IPPC is one of the “Three Sisters” recognized by the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Agreement, along with the Codex Alimentarius Commission for food safety standards and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) for animal health standards.
• The IPPC is governed by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM), composed of all IPPC Contracting Parties, and a number of key CPM subsidiary and oversight bodies.
• The IPPC Secretariat coordinates the core activities of, and provides operational support to, the IPPC work programme.
• The IPPC work programme includes governance and strategies, standard setting, implementation and capacity development, trade facilitation, communication and partnerships.