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Despite the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic, NAPPO has continued to fulfill its mission of safeguarding North American plant resources and facilitating safe inter-and intra-regional trade without interruption.
As we begin 2021, the NAPPO Secretariat and its member countries, including its governance committees and expert groups, will continue to proactively manage and effectively progress NAPPO’s Annual Work Program, including using new approaches for effectively conducting business virtually.
At present, NAPPO continues to manage 17 projects/activities under the 2021 NAPPO Annual Work Program with the assistance/cooperation of 115+ plant health government, industry, and academic experts from our three member countries.
Furthermore, we are excited to inform you that in 2021, NAPPO and its member countries will:
Continue advancing the NAPPO Annual Work Program priorities including:
Finalizing/approving updated regional standards on the authorization of laboratories to perform phytosanitary testing (RSPM 9), NAPPO’s glossary of phytosanitary terms (RSPM 5) and a science and technology document on the risks associated with the introduction of exotic lymantriid species of potential concern to the NAPPO region.
Continuing to revise, launch for consultation, and finalize regional standards that provide guidelines for the movement of stone and pome fruit trees and grapevines into NAPPO member countries (RSPM 35); construction and operation of containment facilities for biological control agents (RSPM 22); and the import of wooden and bamboo commodities (RSPM 38).
Progressing technical documents on forestry or forest pests - such as the Asian Gypsy Moth and contaminant pests affecting trade in wood commodities and forestry products.
Supporting seed health and diagnostics through actively progressing a pilot project for the harmonization of diagnostic protocols for seed pests, focusing on the tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV).
Developing guidance materials to assist with understanding and implementation of regional and international standards on consignments-in-transit as well as finalizing Part II of a multi-authored manual on risk-based sampling (RBS).
Continuing to support the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH), which will conclude in mid- 2021.
Continue reporting, information exchange and other outreach activities such as managing the NAPPO Phytosanitary Alert System.
Continuing the revision and update of the NAPPO foundational and procedural documents.
We anticipate that key documents on many of the above-referenced topics will be ready for country consultation in 2021, and that engaging you and ensuring your effective review/input to these documents will be critical for our organization.
NAPPO will continue to support and advance other key North American strategic priorities including the implementation of ePhyto and the activities of the North American Sea Container Initiative (NASCI).
NAPPO will continue to be engaged in strategic discussions and international collaboration with the IPPC community at large as well as with regional plant protection organizations in Europe (EPPO) and the Western Hemisphere (OIRSA, CAHFSA, CAN and COSAVE).
Apart from the programmatic updates noted above, we are excited to inform you that new important activities will be launched in 2021 including:
updating selected NAPPO governance documents that reference the newly ratified USMCA Free Trade Agreement.
progressing work on the revision/update of the 5-year NAPPO Strategic Plan.
organizing and hosting (U.S. NPPO in partnership with NAPPO) the first ever NAPPO Virtual Annual Meeting (November 2021).
launching a comprehensive review/update of quality management-related terminology within NAPPO’s glossary of phytosanitary terms (RSPM 5), which cuts across several regional standards, phytosanitary activities, and commodity sectors, with the goal of developing harmonized and consistent terminology for the NAPPO region. The project will positively impact many important NPPO and IPPC initiatives.
leading the governance and strategic direction (for the biennium 2021-2022), as well as continuing our active participation in the six technical working groups within the Inter-American Coordinating Group in Plant Protection (GICSV).
conducting other stakeholder outreach.
As you can see, the NAPPO plate is full of exciting activities/deliverables and we look forward to engaging you in these, including as we develop ideas for inclusion into the new five-year NAPPO Strategic Plan (2022-2027).
Because of the ongoing and new NAPPO strategic, programmatic, and project-related activities planned for 2021 and detailed above and in the attached 2021 NAPPO Annual Work Program, the NAPPO Management Team thought it was prudent to be conservative in the timing for the open call for new NAPPO project proposals.
As such, NAPPO has decided to open the call for new project proposals on November 15, 2021 for a 90- day period. This approach will help us balance the various efforts noted for 2021 and allow us to concentrate on completing several ongoing projects thereby creating more room for new projects to potentially be considered for 2022. Please remember that you are still encouraged to propose new NAPPO projects outside of the open period.
We are excited about engaging you in several of our activities in 2021 and look forward to your ideas for new NAPPO projects!
Please be on the lookout for a NAPPO announcement on the call later this year.