Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, Andrew Doyle T.D today attended an event at the FAO headquarters in Rome to launch the United Nations International Year of Plant Health 2020 (IYPH).
Minister Doyle speaking at the event said: “Ireland has been a strong supporter from the start of this process, both conceptually and financially, of the International Year of Plant Health and looks forward to rolling out the key messages.”
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, proclaiming 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). which calls upon FAO, in collaboration with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), to lead the implementation of the International Year of Plant Health in close collaboration with the Member Countries.
Minister Doyle joined the new Director-General of FAO, Mr. QU Dongyu, along with speakers from Finland, Nicaragua, UK and Industry representatives at the event today to mark the launch of the of IYPH. The main objectives of this year-long worldwide initiative are to:
- Raise the awareness of the public and political decision-makers at the global, regional and national levels about plant health and,
- Promote and strengthen national, regional and global plant health efforts and their resources in light of increasing trade and new pest risks caused through climate change.
Minister Doyle added, “Last week, I published a new Plant Health and Biosecurity Strategy for Ireland, which takes into account those IYPH 2020 messages including trade facilitation, food biosecurity, as well as protection of Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture and the wider environment from emerging plant pest and disease threats.”
The Minister concluded that “It is clear that the International Year of Plant Health 2020 will have significant impacts on the realisation of several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the FAO strategic objectives. We have shown a clear commitment in this regard.”
Further information is available at https://www.ippc.int/en/news/launch-event-of-international-year-of-plant-health-2020/
