The Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-16) established the Focus Group on Safe Provision of Food and Humanitarian Aid in April 2022. Recently, the group held its first in-person meeting since CPM-18 in Bridgetown, Barbados. This event, coordinated by the IPPC Secretariat with the support of the Caribbean Plant Health Directors Forum (CPHD Forum), the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), and the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Barbados, brought together a wide range of stakeholders. The main goal was to address the critical issue of managing phytosanitary risks associated with the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The CPM-18 decision to extend the Focus Group’s mandate until 2026 reflects the global recognition of the risk that humanitarian aid can inadvertently introduce plant pests, causing long-term damage to agriculture, ecosystems, and local economies. This extension enables the group to continue developing vital guidelines and International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) to ensure that aid supplies do not pose a threat to plant health in vulnerable regions. The discussions emphasized collaboration among stakeholders and the importance of resilient phytosanitary systems in disaster-prone regions like the Caribbean. The group is also preparing a webinar, planned for early 2025, in order to raise awareness and strengthen international cooperation on this issue.
Read more: IPPC News: https://www.ippc.int/en/news/cpm-focus-group-on-safe-provision-of-food-and-other-humanitarian-aid-concludes-in-barbados/
© Adriana G. MOREIRA – IPPC CPM focus group on Safe Provision of Food and other Humanitarian Aid at their October 2024 meeting in Bridgetown, Barbados.
