UNNExT Workshop on Implementation of

e-SPS and Automation for Agriculture

Trade Facilitation

1-3 November 2016

Bangkok, Thailand

Phytosanitary certification & ePhyto

Workshop on Implementation of e-SPS certification systems

1-3 November 2016

Bangkok, Thailand

Shane Sela, ePhyto Project Manager, IPPC Secretariat

Outline

• The IPPC

• Phytosanitary certification

• ePhyto

• The ePhyto Project

The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) – Where we have been

1878

• Bern Convention on Phylloxera vastatrix

• 5 country agreement

1881

• Convention Respecting Measures To Be Taken Against Phylloxera vastatrix

• 12 country agreement

1929

• International Convention for the Protection of Plants

1952

• Original text of the IPPC enters into force

1979

• IPPC modified

1989

• Uruguay Round of GATT recognizes IPPC

1997

• Revised text of the IPPC adopted

• Alignment with SPS agreement of WTO

2005

• Revised text enters into force

Article I “With the purpose of securing common and effective action to prevent the spread and introduction of pests of plants and plant products, and to promote appropriate measures for their control…”

The Convention and certification

• Article IV (2) “The responsibilities of an official national plant protection organization shall include the following: (a) the issuance of certificates relating to the phytosanitary regulations of the importing contracting party for consignments of plants, plant products and other regulated articles;…”

• Article V (3) “Each contracting party undertakes not to require consignments of plants or plant products or other regulated articles imported into its territories to be accompanied by phytosanitary certificates inconsistent with the models set out in the Annex to this Convention...”

Phytosanitary certification

• Model phytosanitary certificate (PC) and PC for re-export established in the Convention

Phytosanitary certification

• ISPM 7 and 12 provide guidance on issuance of PCs and PCs for re-export • ISPM 7 Phytosanitary certification system describes

the components of a national system for the issuance of PCs • Topic added in 1994, standard adopted in 1997, revised in

2011

• ISPM 12 Phytosanitary certificates describes the content of PCs • Topic added in 1996, standard first adopted in 2001, revised

in 2014

Electronic certification

• 2011 open ended working group on electronic certificates established

• 2014 CPM approved Appendix 1 Electronic phytosanitary certificates, information on standard XML schemas and exchange mechanisms to ISPM 12 which describes the • Format and contents of ePhytos

• Mechanism for exchange

• Guidance on harmonized codes and schema

ePhyto introduction

• Independent study concluded that the development of a hub would facilitate exchange

• CPM also encouraged the development of an ePhyto hub to facilitate harmonized exchange of ePhyto.

• In October 2015, STDF approved funding to allow developing countries to more effectively participate in ePhyto

What is ePhyto?

Developments in countries

• Some countries have begun developing systems for exchanging electronic certificates

• Different solutions

• Countries must align bilaterally

• Many bilateral arrangements needed

• Further harmonisation would reduce need for costly bilateral arrangements

The Hub Concept

Point to point systems

The concept of the ePhyto Solution

• Reduced potential for fraud • Improved efficiencies by reduced data entry and validation • Improved security • Expedited arrival for commodities in trade • Ability to address certification problems in advance of

commodity arrival

• Globally harmonized approach for certification • Remove the need for bilateral agreements between NPPOs

for exchange; • Potential to link with other e-systems (e.g. single window)

Benefits of e-certificates

Benefits of the ePhyto Solution

Project target beneficiaries

• NPPOs particularly those of developing and less developed countries

• Producers, exporters, importers of plants and plant products

• Integration of phytosanitary processes with other electronic border systems may improve logistics to support food security

The hub

• Centralized server to facilitate exchange of electronic certificates between NPPOs.

• Generic or national system communicates with hub • Pushes certificates to the hub • Receives certificates from the hub by push or pull

• ePhyto messages only kept in the hub until delivered • Secure NPPO access • Electronic certificates carried within secure envelope from NPPO

(export) to hub to NPPO (import) • Uses internet based security processes to protect transmission • Highly configurable

Generic national system

• Simple web-based system which:

• Produces an electronic certificate

• Transmits it to the hub under prescribed rules

• Pulls certificates from the Hub

• Stores certificate data of produced and received e-certificates

The Hub and GeNS

Paper Phyto certificate ePhyto certificate

20

Considerations Standardization of

• Definition of the exchange protocol • Schema elements required for a n electronic

phytosanitary certificate

Web security mechanism • SSL certificates for authentication/transfer encryption

General guidance within the standards vs. the specific elements required in e-certification

Rework for existing national systems Paper used for more than governmental purposes

• Letters of credit

ePhyto Project

• Improve the capacity of developing countries to communicate phytosanitary assurances

• Facilitate safe, secure and efficient trade

• Establishment of a self-sustaining solution for e-certificates for plants and plant products

• U.S. $1 million from STDF

• U.S. $0.6 million from U.S., Canada, IPPC Secretariat

Project Components

• Project is divided into 7 key components 1. Establish a service provider

2. Design and establish the hub

3. Design and establish the GeNS

4. Pilot the hub and GeNS

5. Develop and disseminate capacity, outreach and operational tools to facilitate implementation

6. Develop a business model which supports long term operation

7. Project oversight and monitoring

Timeline

2016 2017 2018 2019

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Pilot Business as usual operation

Develop, test and deploy capacity building and advocacy tools

Establish cost recovery business model

Implement business model

Project development

• ePhyto Steering Group has developed: • proposed operating standards for hub and GeNS (“Global ePhyto

solution”) • Finalizing mapping/codes for GeNS

• IPPC has selected the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC) as the service provider

• IPPC has established an agreement with UNICC to develop the hub and GeNS

• UNICC has defined the requirements for the hub and GeNS • UNICC will reconfigure software/establish needed hardware for

operation of hub and GeNS once requirements finalised • Once hub and GeNS is established, pilot will commence with 8-10

countries with national systems and 2-4 countries using GeNS

Following the pilot

• Evaluation of pilot results & any issues addressed

• Make available tools to support implementation

• Implement long term business operation model

• Open participation for countries to implement on their own timelines

• More countries with national systems may join hub (2017)

• Gradual expansion of GeNS (2017-2018)

Shane Sela IPPC Secretariat

shane.sela@fao.org