Report of the 28th session of the Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Commission

<p>The twenty-eighth session of the Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Commission (APPPC) was held in Cheju Island (Jeju), Republic of Korea, from 23 to 27 September 2013. Sixty-four delegates from 22 contracting Governments, namely, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, the Lao People&rsquo;s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Viet Nam attended the meeting. Representatives from the IPPC and the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat also participated in the Session. Four delegates from Japan and Singapore attended as observers. There were also observers from CABI and the regional IPM Programme. On behalf of Mr. Hiroyuki Konuma, Assitant Director General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and Pacific, Mr. A. Fuavao, Deputy Regional Representative, delivered a welcome address. This was followed by the inaugural address by Mr. In-Hong Yeo, Vice Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), Republic of Korea. At the session, the participants reviewed and discussed many activities of APPPC and its member countries and adopted several key resolutions. These included, among others, country reports, the report on the implementation of the work plan adopted at the previous session, development and implementation of ISPMs and RSPMs, management of pests and pesticides, information exchange, capacity development, training workshops, cooperation among members, financial report of the previous biennium, the proposed work plan and budget for the next biennium, as well as the proposed mandatory contributions for 2014-2015. Thanks to the warm hospitality and enormous contribution by the host country, the Republic of Korea, the session is a great success. APPPC together its member countries look forward to the fruitful implementation of the various activities in line with the work plan established for the forthcoming biennium.</p>