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HIGHLIGHT OF IMPORTANT ITEMS CONSIDERED BY THE COMMISSION
Present Status of the Plant Protection Agreement for Asia and the Pacific Region
7.
The Commission considered the above item on the basis of the Secretariat Document No. RAPA/APPPC/89/3. It is noted that the latest amendments concerning (1) amendment to Article I(a) of the Agreement to include the People's Republic of China in the definition of the Region; and (2) amendment to introduce mandatory contributions for the contracting governments in order to finance the programme of activities of the Commission, were proposed by the Thirteenth Session of the Commission held in 1983 and approved by the FAO Council at its Eighty- fourth Session in the same year, are awaiting enter into force requiring acceptance by two-thirds of the present 24 Contracting Governments as stated in paragraph 4 of the Article IX of the Agreement. So far four countries had deposited the instrument of acceptance with the Director General of FAO, ratifying both the amendments and the United Kingdom had ratified only amendment I. Summary of the present position of ratification of the amendments by contracting countries is at appendix III. It is further noted that if U.K. accepts amendment II her share of annual contribution would be US$ 5,000 according to the proposal at appendix IV.
Recent Development in Relation to the Implementation of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)
8.
Dr.van der Graaff, Chief of the Plant Protection Service, FAO informed that the Uruguay Panel of Multilateral Trade Negotiation in the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT) had included trade in agricultural produce in the meeting and plant quarantine was viewed as a technical trade barrier. He further informed that FAO had been asked to provide technical input to the GATT Working Group and that an agreement had been reached on a work programme on sanitary and phytosanitary regulations that concerned harmonization, notification and counter- notification procedure, transparency, dispute settlement and technical assistance to developing countries.
9. The Commission also noted that A Technical Consultation between FAO and regional plant protection organizations was held in September 1989 which produced four recommendations concerning (a) the establishment of an International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat; (b) the establishment of an official body consisting of Regional Plant Protection
Protection Organizations and possibly contracting parties; (c) technical assistance to developing countries; and (d) the augmentation of the number of contracting parties to the IPPC. In this connection the Commission endorsed these recommendations and acknowledged that quarantine is an integral part of trade and that APPPC should take a full part in the harmonization of phytosanitary principles and procedures. The Commission endorsed the strategies concerning plant quarantine principles, pest risk assessment and development of entry procedures contained in Secretariat Document No.
No. RAPA/APPPC/89/7 and recommended the setting up of working parties to further study these strategies.
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