Reception for the International Year of Plant Health

 

 

 

Reception for the International Year of Plant Health

Carla Mucavi, Director, FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York

 

Let me start by thanking the Mission of  Finland and its Government for organizing this reception and inviting us to participate.

In July 2017, the FAO Conference adopted a resolution with the aim to proclaim 2020 the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH), with an overwhelming support of countries from all regions.

The leadership of the Government of Finland was instrumental in this process and still is as we move forward for the adoption of a Resolution proclaiming 2020 as   the International Year of Plant Heath   by the General Assembly under your able guidance.

FAO considers the proclamation of an IYPH in 2020 as a paramount initiative to increase global awareness on the importance of healthy plants to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. 

In fact, promoting and protecting plant health are at the core of FAO’s mandate, helping to make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable, and can help to end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment and boast economic development to leave no on behind.

Plants are essential for life, making up 80 percent of the food we eat and the oxygen we breathe. Healthy plants feed people and animals.  

FAO estimates that up to 40 percent of global food crops, worth $220 billion in trade of agricultural products are lost annually due to plant pests. Pests leave millions without food to eat, with devastating impacts on food security and trade. From the other hand, Invasive alien species are responsible for the loss of biodiversity, and consequent negative effects on the environment. 

Climate change is one of emerging challenges for plant health, as it influences the movement of plant pests, weakening host plants by extreme weather conditions. New pests can be introduced into new ecosystems, with potentially disruptive impacts on agricultural productivity.  

The recent rapid movement of invasive plant pest species in different parts of the world that have had a significant impact on food security and livelihoods proves that the significant social, economic and environmental impact of pests necessitates global attention and responses. 

FAO, through its International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) provides a framework to protect the world’s plant resources from the harm caused by pests. We are happy to have here representatives of some IPPC contracting parties and the IPPC Secretariat, who would be happy to meet you and provide their insights.

Declaring 2020 the International Year of Plant Health will highlight the importance of plant health and trigger a global alliance to support plant health polices as a significant contributor to global food security, economic development, environmental and human health protection.  

Lets congratulate ourselves  for this initiative and join our efforts to make the International Year of Plant Health in 2020 a  successful one.

Thank you for your attention.

Regards