Please be informed that the ComMark programme came to an end on 31 December 2009. Should you have any queries or need further assistance , please contact the relevant sector staff member(s):
- Agribusiness Sector Specialist - Lucille Gavera (+27 83 290 1260) or Mike De Klerk (+27 82 452 7749)
- Textiles & Apparel Sector Specialist - Andy Salm (+353 8623 88523)
- Tourism Sector Specialist - Wouter Schalken (+264 8120 89650) or click here for information on ongoing tourism projects in Southern Africa
Building SADC’s capacity of to comply with IPPC reporting requirements: quick guide
What we do
With this intervention, the RSP aims to build the capacity of SPS contact points in SADC member countries to comply with the reporting requirements of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). It provides the following services and inputs:
- Equip and train the SPS contact points to communicate electronically - all reporting information with respect to pests is web-based and channeled through the IPPC phyto-sanitary portal;
- Develop and provide the SPS contact points with new information management software tools and support them to use these tools;
- Bring the SPS contact points together for capacity-building workshops; and
- Undertake in-country support visits.
Why this intervention
In March 2007, ComMark assisted a group of SADC country SPS contact points to attend the 2nd Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) of the IPPC, held in Rome. As an international treaty, the IPPC aims to prevent the spread and introduction of pests of plants and plant products and to promote appropriate measures for their control. The IPPC has always played an important role in international trade. The IPPC oversees the control measures countries put in place to restrict the export of pests and must ensure that all control measures are technically justified.
As signatories to the IPPC, countries have to fulfill certain reporting requirements such as the annual submission of pest lists. To date, none of the SADC member countries that attended the CPM have fully complied with this requirement. Lack of access to this information inhibits trade, especially in the case of non-traditional export products where an importing country can refuse market access on the grounds that it represents a bio-security risk. The reasons cited by SADC countries for their non-compliance with IPPC reporting requirements include i) lack of technical capacity, ii) lack of information management systems, iii) staff-shortages, and iv) communication technology limitations.
This project attempts to address these limitations by working with six low-income SADC SPS contact points.
