International Plant Protection Convention

International Plant Protection Convention

Type	agricultural; environmental
Signed	6 December 1951
Location	Rome, Italy
Effective	3 April 1952
Condition	three ratifications
Signatories	29
Parties	183
Depositary	Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization
Languages	Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish
Secretary Osama El-Lissy (26 February 2022–)[1][2]

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.^[3] IPPC promulgates International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs).^[3]

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 § CPM). As of August 2017, the convention has 183 parties, being 180 United Nations member states and the Cook Islands, Niue, and the European Union.^[4] 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.