Ask an Expert: International Plant Protection Convention

What are the overlapping areas of functions and responsibilities between the IPPC and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety?

To answer this question we can look at the respective objectives of the two agreements. 

The objective of the Cartagena Protocol is "to contribute to ensuring an adequate level of protection in the field of the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms resulting
from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity,..."

The IPPC has as its purpose "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".

In the case of the IPPC, "pests" are any organisms that may be injurious to plants (including other plants, animals or pathogens). "Plants" mean any plant, including cultivated and wild flora.  Thus, to the extent that an LMO may have the potential to be injurious to plant health, it may be considered a "pest" in IPPC terms.  Likewise, to the extent that the IPPC plays a role in protecting wild flora, it contributes to protecting biodiversity. These are the overlaps in objective and scope of the two agreements.

Each agreement has rights and obligations for countries that are signatories to the agreements. Where the two agreements overlap in scope and objectives, there are also overlapping rights and responsibilities including the application of risk analysis for decisionmaking, the application of measures to manage or reduce risks, infomation exchange and technical assistance (i.e. capacity building).

Each agreement has different mechanisms in place designed to facilitate implementation.  The CP has, for instance, the advanced informed agreement and the biosafety clearing house. The IPPC produces international standards for phytosanitary measures (ISPMs). ISPMs provide guidance to countries on creating and implementing phytosanitary measures (laws, regulations, etc.) at the national level with aim of protecting their plant resources.

Perhaps the area where there is the most overlap, and the greatest potential for synergy between the IPPC and CP is the application of risk analysis.  This topic is discussed in another thread in this forum: http://bch.cbd.int/onlineconferences/ippc_art18.shtml?threadid=990