The main restraint to the development of plant protection activities among Commission members was seen to be the lack of financial resources. After extensive discussions of the situation, it was proposed by some members that a special group on strategic planning be constituted. This was established by the Commission with the broad objective of developing strategic and business plans to examine the financial situation and propose sources and modalities of resource and finance mobilization. The considerations of the future activities of the Commission would be based on the functions of the Commission as laid out in Article IV of the revised Plant Protection Agreement for the Asia and Pacific region as accepted by the twenty-first session of the APPPC (1999). The future activity of the APPPC, the preparation of strategic and business plans, and the preparation of proposals relating to financial mechanisms was discussed.
The report noted that two types of funding would be required – core funding for the basic functioning of the APPPC and additional funding for plant protection projects and other work the Commission thought desirable. Essentially, funding could be provided by mandatory funding and/or by voluntary funding. The mandatory funding system would be based on the 1983 amendments to the Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Agreement – as yet not in force. Acceptance from a further six APPPC members is required for the amendments to come into force (This has now decreased to two). It was suggested that the Commission consider a programme to try to obtain the required acceptances so this funding system could become active. The areas of funding included in the "voluntary funding" area included – member contributions to an APPPC Trust fund (i.e. not linked to specific activities) and the funding of specific projects or identified activities by member countries, aid organizations, the private sector or stakeholders. A trust fund would be of considerable assistance to the Commission as it could be used for providing emergency assistance or topping up the regular programme if there was a shortage at some time.
Development of regional standards could be continued, including the development of implementation strategies for both international and regional standards, and the urgent completion of the SALB standard. The Commission should consider improving the mechanism for selecting the subjects for regional standards. Within the area of information management, listing of experts within the region would be of use to members. Further work could be done on PRA, including the monitoring of the trends in pest detections or pest movements, and on pest recording. Other activities may include the listing of approved phytosanitary treatments used in the region for pest/product problems in different countries; the determination of a climate-pest damage model to provide advisory information; capacity building for the implementation of phytosanitary treatments; emergency assistance; sustainable implementation of IPM and GAP; and the harmonization of pesticides management including pesticides residues in crops.
The plan includes a Position Statement, Mission Statement and five Strategic Directions. This includes plant protection measures, information management, capacity development, International Agreements, and administration. Goals and objectives were proposed within these strategies and directions.
The business plan discussed the needs of the APPPC members, the APPPC and its current situation and the current work programme. A draft future work programme, with estimated funding requirements was also presented.
In discussing options for funding, it was noted that the resources of the APPPC have been limited to those provided by FAO and funds provided for specific programmes by some countries. At present, the funds support one biennial session for the Commission and three working group meetings per biennium. This level of activity is insufficient for the adequate functioning of the Commission.
The plan stipulates areas of works and projects which could be funded by governments or other sponsored organizations. The activities described are based on the requirements of member countries in the area of plant protection identity. An observer commented that additional funding may come from other bodies such as the International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRDB) and Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) for contribution to common areas of interest such as information dissemination, capacity building, and the development of emergency procedures. The proposed biennium expenditure of the APPPC for the year 2008-2009 is USS428000. Details of the business plan is in Annex IV.
After the discussions and several minor alterations to the draft, the Session accepted the strategic and business plan for APPPC.
