The project aimed to promote understanding and roll out of ISPM 15 (Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material) among developing and least developed countries. It focused on building their capacity to set up adequate infrastructure and systems to roll out ISPM 15, protect natural resources, and decrease the movement of pests that are harmful to plants and, in turn, increase market access for exports.
A results story on the project is available here.
With ISPM 15 a mark is placed on the wood packaging to indicate the wood has been treated as outlined in the standard. Developing and least developed countries, however, had voiced concerns as to the practical roll out of ISPM 15, with specific trade concerns being raised in the WTO’s SPS Committee since 2002.
The workshop survey showed that nearly all participants, including industry representatives, believed the project contributed to the global harmonization of the ISPM 15 standard in each of the countries involved.
In the two years following the project workshop with its training material on ISPM 15, there has been an increase in the number of countries – especially developing countries – that have rolled out ISPM 15.
Training material from the workshop could be shared with NPPOs worldwide, alongside follow-up training. To support additional challenges faced by countries in rolling out ISPM 15 due to specific local circumstances, tailor-made capacity building activities to apply knowledge on the ground would be useful.