Protecting the World’s Plant Resources from Pests
International Plant Protection Convention and United Nations International Computing Centre
Session 210
International Plant Protection ePhyto Hub
“The International Year of Plant Health [in 2020] will highlight the importance of plant health to enhance food security, protect the environment and biodiversity and boost economic development,” FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo said.
Today, up to 40 percent of global food crops are lost annually due to plant pests. In terms of economic value, plant diseases alone cost the global economy around US$220 billion annually and invasive insects around US$70 billion.
The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the United Nations International Computing Centre (ICC) have delivered an innovative solution for developing countries to ensure plant protection in their international trade. Electronic phyto-sanitary certificates, in lieu of paper certificates, ensure safe standards in the arrival and clearance of plants across national boundaries. Trade suffers when ePhyto certificates do not use harmonized e-business standards. IPPC and ICC have developed and are operating a centralized hub to facilitate the exchange of certificates and a Generic ePhyto National System (GeNS) web-based system for countries without the infrastructure to produce, send and receive certificates.
Sri Lanka, along with Ghana and Morocco, is an early adopter for implementing the GeNS system for expected efficiencies of exportation and importation of plants and plant products to increase trade benefits. Sri Lankan mangoes are a case in point.
Mangoes enter the European market commonly in the ports of the Netherlands. Before departing Sri Lanka, the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) carries out a set of treatments to ensure no contamination of the fruit with any pest that can affect the biosecurity of the Netherlands and/or other destination countries. The NPPO must issue a phytosanitary certificate -- and paper-based certificates are time-consuming and subject to loss and human error or fraud, impacting often significantly the time to market.
With the GeNS electronic system, the Sri Lankan NPPO can issue an ePhyto quickly and efficiently – in a matter of seconds. An import customs officer can review the ePhyto certificate and request modifications ahead of the product reaching the port. When the product arrives, the correct phytosanitary certificate is ready and customs need only inspect the mangoes. ePhytos are exchanged among NPPOS and can be verified against the system, eliminating the threat of fraud certificates being used.
As a vision for 2025 and beyond, ICT can act as a driver for development - as seen in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with the great potential to accelerate progress and to develop knowledge societies, bridging digital divides with innovative technology.
ICTs are identified as targets in the SDG goals for education, gender equality, infrastructure and in the implementation goal as a cross cutting tool to be utilized for the achievement of all of the SDGs.
IPPC and ICC will continue to partner with crosscutting innovation labs as well as technology providers who are already delivering innovative cost-efficient UN shared systems, as well as cloud solutions, AI, BI, IoT, Big Data, block chain technologies, virtual reality, GIS systems, ID harmonisation and the like.
Moderator
Prado Nieto, Chief Customer Relationship Management, ICC
Speakers/Panellists
Venkat Venkateswaran, Chief App Delivery, ICC
Craig Fedcock, IPPC Advisor at International Plant Protection Secretariat/FAO-IPPC
Session's link to WSIS Action Lines
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C1. The role of public governance authorities and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
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C2. Information and communication infrastructure
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C3. Access to information and knowledge
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C4. Capacity building
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C5. Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs
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C7. ICT Applications: E-government
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C7. ICT Applications: E-business
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C7. ICT Applications: E-health
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C7. ICT Applications: E-environment
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C7. ICT Applications: E-agriculture
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C7. ICT Applications: E-science
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C11. International and regional cooperation
C1. The role of public governance authorities and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development - The ePhyto solution provides a global and national platform to share trade documentation, including National Plant Protection Conventions (NPPOs)
C2. Information and communication infrastructure - The ePhyto hub is a shared infrastructure and knowledge hub to support plant trade worldwide
C3. Access to information and knowledge - Allows local and national constituents to participate in global plant trade processes
C4. Capacity building - Builds capacity of country plant trade stakeholders to improve their processes and deliver faster to market
C5. Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs - Builds capacity of country plant trade stakeholders to improve deliver safer to market
C7. ICT Applications: E-government - The ePhyto solution provides a global and national platform to share trade documentation, including National Plant Protection Conventions (NPPOs)
C7. ICT Applications: E-business - The ePhyto solution provides a global and national platform to share trade documentation, including National Plant Protection Conventions (NPPOs)
C7. ICT Applications: E-health - Supports healthier eating and diet with fresher and pest-free products
C7. ICT Applications: E-employment - Supports optimised trade processes for stable employment
C7. ICT Applications: E-environment - Supports optimised trade processes for a healthier environment
C7. ICT Applications: E-agriculture - Supports optimised trade processes for a healthier agriculture utilizing digital business processes
C7. ICT Applications: E-science - Supports optimised trade processes for a scientific solutions for trade business processes
C11. International and regional cooperation - Allows local and national constituents to participate in global plant trade processes
Session's link to Sustainable Development Process
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Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
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Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all
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Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all
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Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
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Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
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Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
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Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss
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Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. The ePhyto solution, by providing a more secure and efficient phytosanitary certificate exchange process, will facilitate a stronger management of pest spread, consequently minimizing crop losses and increasing food security.
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all. The ePhyto hub brings the benefits of healthier plant trade to market faster without delays or pests.
Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all. The ePhyto hub brings the benefits of healthier plant trade to market faster for more effective and sustainable employment.
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. Technological progress is key to finding lasting solutions to both economic and environmental challenges. The ePhyto Solution is an innovative project that applies a technology solution to improve the current phytosanitary certificate exchange approach. The Hub, by facilitating a harmonized exchange of ePhytos promotes a more efficient and sustainable
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. The ePhyto hub brings the benefits of healthier food to market faster for more effective and sustainable employment.
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. The ePhyto solution provides increase efficiency in the process of certificate exchange and minimizes significant the possibility of fraudulent certificates getting through customs. These functions, which once again help improve the management of pests and thus reduce their spread, further contribute to the above-mentioned SDG.
Better management and prevention of pests crossing the borders helps minimize the harm to forests and the environment. Thus helping combat the impacts of climate change but simultaneously helping preserve the land and prevent biodiversity loss.
Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss. The ePhyto hub brings the benefits of optimised plant trade making the environment a safer place.
Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. The development of the ePhyto project has taken place with significant collaboration with multiple organizations and industry partners. Working together to develop a system that makes sense not only for government representatives but for industry and future organizations that would like to join the electronic certification world.