The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is a 1951 multilateral treaty overseen by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization that aims to secure coordinated, effective action to prevent and to control the introduction and spread of pests of plants and plant products. The Convention extends beyond the protection of cultivated plants to the protection of natural flora and plant products. It also takes into consideration both direct and indirect damage by pests, so it includes weeds. IPPC promulgates International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs). The Convention created a governing body consisting of each party, known as the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures, which oversees the implementation of the convention (see ). As of August 2017, the convention has 183 parties, being 180 United Nations member states and the Cook Islands, Niue, and the European Union. The convention is recognized by the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement) as the only international standard setting body for plant health.

Goals

While the IPPC's primary focus is on plants and plant products moving in international trade, the convention also covers research materials, biological control organisms, germplasm banks, containment facilities, food aid, emergency aid and anything else that can act as a vector for the spread of plant pests – for example, containers, packaging materials, soil, vehicles, vessels and machinery. The IPPC was created by member countries of the Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO). The IPPC places emphasis on three core areas: international standard setting, information exchange and capacity development for the implementation of the IPPC and associated international phytosanitary standards. The Secretariat of the IPPC is housed at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, and is responsible for the coordination of core activities under the IPPC work program. In recent years the Commission of Phytosanitary Measures of the IPPC has developed a strategic framework with the objectives of: By focusing the convention's efforts on these objectives, the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures of the IPPC intends to:

Regional Plant Protection Organizations

Under the IPPC are Regional Plant Protection Organizations (RPPO). These are intergovernmental organizations responsible for cooperation in plant protection. There are the following organizations recognized by and working under the IPPC: Under the IPPC, the role of an RPPO is to:

International Plant Health Conference

The first annual International Plant Health Conference was organized by the FAO and set to be hosted by the Finnish Government in Helsinki 28 June–July 1, 2021. However, on 9 February 2021 it was cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic.

Commission on Phytosanitary Measures

The fifteenth session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) was held 16 March, 18 March and 1 April 2021 virtually over Zoom.

ePhyto

The IPPC created and administers the ePhyto system, the international electronic phytosanitary certificate standard. ePhyto has been very widely adopted three million ePhyto certificates have been exchanged between exporting and importing partner states.

Activities

IPPC convenes consultative committees and forms international standards. This includes standards on food irradiation. Haack et al., 2014 find the IPPC has been successful in reducing wood boring beetle infestation of wood packaging material in shipments entering the United States.<ref name="Effectiveness">