IN DECEMBER during the 73rd session, the United Nations General Assembly named 2020 the International Year of Plant Health. Plants are under constant attack from invasive pests; this damages crops, forests and other natural resources. According to a promotional video, this is an opportunity to raise global awareness, reduce poverty, protect the environment and feed the world. “The International Year of Plant Health offers a ‘once- in-a-lifetime’ opportunity for plant protection profession- als to promote plant health to policymakers, stakeholders and society,” says Ralf Lopian, chair of the International Year of Plant Health Steering Committee. “The year dem- onstrates that plant health is an indispensable precondi- tion to achieving zero hunger, zero poverty, economic development and environmental protection.” The International Seed Federation (ISF) is a member of the steering committee and has been working to coor- dinate efforts and activities to promote the International Year of Plant Health. Designed to raise global awareness of plant health and its role in increasing food security, those in the seed community also anticipate that the proclamation will sup- port the implementation of the International Standard for 2020:INTERNATIONAL YEAROFPLANTHEALTH A global initiative aims to increase awareness and help protect plants from pests. Julie Deering Phytosanitary Measures on the International Movement of Seed that was adopted in 2017. “Plants are the foundation of life on earth and we are proud to be part of this initiative to protect the world’s plant resources from pests,” says Michael Keller, ISF secretary general. “We will be strengthening our stake- holder engagement to garner support for the International Year of Plant Health, and to highlight the importance of healthy seed to plant health.” What can you expect? An International Plant Health Conference will be among thousands of plant health events to be held globally throughout 2020, according to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). IPPC is an international treaty, with 183 contracting parties, that entered into force in 1952 and provides a framework to protect the world’s plant resources from the harm caused by pests. A PDF to help your company or organization champion the initiative is available at fao.org/3/ca0324en/CA0324EN.pdf. MARCH 2019 GERMINATION.CA 65