International Day of Plant Health 2026; May 12th.

FORUM:  “Plant Biosecurity for Food Security” International Day of Plant Health 2026. This year’s theme underscores the recognition that biosecurity measures aid in protecting plants, animals and people from biological threats by preventing harmful pests, diseases and organisms from entering, emerging or spreading. Biosecurity therefore serves as a safety net in agrifood systems – thereby safeguarding food security and nutrition. Plant biosecurity is a tool that underpins FAO’s Four Betters by safeguarding production systems, improving nutrition outcomes, conserving ecosystems and the environment, and strengthening resilient livelihoods. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #Planthealthday, #12May, #Protectourplants, #PlantHealth, #plant, #plantbiosecurity, #foodsecurity.

 

EVENT:  On May 12th, from 10:00 to 11:30 am at FAO HQ; The high-level event will be conducted in a talk-show format, to foster an engaging yet substantive discussion on the importance of plant biosecurity for food security. The event will be moderated by Yurdi Yasmi, NSP Director. Opening remarks will be delivered by FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, and FAO Chief Economist, Máximo Torero, both via video message. The Ambassadors to FAO of Brazil, Mexico and the United States, and the Director General of the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT have all confirmed their participation. The discussion will be guided by the IPPC Secretariat to ensure a coherent dialogue and balanced participation among speakers. Register to participate, explore the agenda programme and Watch the livestream!

COMMUNICATION MATERIALS: Get the Visual Identity, the promotional materials, and the campaign asset toolkit!

International Day of Plant Health 2025; May 12th.

FORUM: “The importance of plant health in One Health.” International Day of Plant Health 2025. Healthy plants constitute the foundation for all life on Earth, as well as ecosystem functions, food security and nutrition. The aims of the day is to raise global awareness and action towards protecting plant health to help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment and boost economic development. Plants are a source of 80% of the human diet but plant pests and diseases destroy up to 40 percent of global crops every year, setting back efforts to provide food and nutrition to an increasingly hungry world. Pest-infested plants may also harbor harmful pathogens that can be transmitted to animals such as the Bluetoungue virus that affects cattle and sheep, and can cause encaphalities in humans. Unhealthy plants also put fragile ecosystems in danger, affecting biodiversity. The FAO and the IPPC are taking action to develop and implement globally harmonized standards on plant health aimed to prevent the entry and spread of pests through international trade. FAO also promotes sustainable agricultural practices such as integrated pest management and the use of innovation and technology to enhance pest surveillance, response and management to prevent outbreaks. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #PlantDiseases, #biosecurity, #ephyto, #PlantProtection, #PlantHealth, #12May, #PlantHealthDay.

EVENTS: On 12 May 2025, from 14:00 to 15:20 CEST at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, a webinar will be held under the theme,“The importance of plant health in One Health.”, the International Day of Plant Health 2025 calls on everyone to raise awareness and take action to keep our plants healthy and ensure food safety and safe trade for sustainable economies and livelihoods. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the International Regional Organization for Plant and Animal Health (OIRSA) are organizing a high-level event to mark the International Day of Plant Health (IDPH). The Day, under the theme “The importance of plant health in One Health”, aims to raise global awareness and action towards protecting plant health to help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment and boost economic development. The high-level event is hosted by OIRSA which also hosts the first 3D technology that simulates management of pest outbreaks, providing a technologically advanced platform that will greatly enhance pest surveillance and response. FAO celebrates its 80th year in 2025 through 365 days of action, of which plant protection is a priority. Marking the International Day of Plant Health is an opportunity to raise awareness on the critical role of plant health in food security and safe trade.  

PUBLICATION: Brush up your knowledge on the topic through a selection of FAO titles highlighting the importance of plant health, and guidance documents on how to Get ready to celebrate the IDPH and get the Activity book – Healthy plants, healthy planet!

STATEMENTS: “We need all stakeholders on board,” said Qu Dongyu, FAO Director-General through a video message at the opening of the IDPH event. “Governments and donors must invest in implementing standards and in building national plant health systems, legislation and capacities. By prioritizing plant health within the One Health framework, we can create a healthier, more sustainable future for generations to come”, he added.
“OIRSA is pleased to partner with FAO and IPPC on this important day”, said Raúl Antonio Rodas Suazo”, Executive Director of OIRSA. “We are committed to achieve our common goal to protect plant health through innovation and technology which we are demonstrating to the world today”, he added.

WEBINAR: Annual Operational Plan 2025-2026 of Plant Health Australia.

International Day of Plant Health 2024; May 12th.

FORUM: "Plant health, safe trade and digital technology." International Day of Plant Health 2024. Each year, over 240 million containers move between countries, carrying goods including plant products, posing biosecurity risks. In addition, about 80% of international trade consignments include wood packaging material, providing a pathway for pest transmission. As a result, damages from invasive pest species incur global economic losses of approximately USD 220 billion annually. Protecting plant health across borders is essential by promoting global collaboration and international standards, such as the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs). Innovative solutions like electronic phytosanitary certification (ePhyto) streamline the process, making trade quicker and more secure. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #PlantHealthDay, #safetrade, #digitaltech, #planthealth, #12May.

EVENTS: On 13 May 2024, 14:00-15:20 CEST at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy a webinar. will be held under the theme, “Plant health, safe trade and digital technology”, the International Day of Plant Health 2024 calls on everyone to raise awareness and take action to keep our plants healthy and ensure food safety and safe trade for sustainable economies and livelihoods. Get the Agenda Programme and Register here!

Agenda on the observance of the International Day of Plant Health (IDPH) Technical Session (hybrid)

LIVETREAM: In celebration, the Food and Agriculture Office of the United Nations (FAO) Live event on may13th from 14:00 to 15:20 CEST at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy. Watch the live webcast.

The United Nations designated 12 May the International Day of Plant Health (IDPH) to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment, and boost economic development. The Day is a key legacy of the International Year of Plant Health 2020, which was marked in 2020-2021. The observance was unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly in a resolution (A/RES/76/256) co-signed by Bolivia, Finland, Pakistan, the Philippines, Tanzania and Zambia in March 2022. The resolution sets out that healthy plants constitute the foundation for all life on Earth, as well as ecosystem functions, food security and nutrition, adding that plant health is key to the sustainable development of agriculture required to feed a growing global population by 2050.


“The International Day of Plant Health will be an opportunity to highlight the crucial importance of plant health, both in itself and as part of our One Health approach, encompassing human, animal and ecosystem health. It could not be more vital to make sure that we do everything we can to maximize the food resources our planet can provide.” FAO Deputy Director-General, Beth Bechdol

The International Day of Plant Health has five specific objectives:

• Increase awareness of the importance of keeping plants healthy to achieve the UN 2030 Agenda, particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).
• Campaign to minimize the risk of spreading plant pests through trade and travel, by triggering compliance with international plant health standards.
• Strengthen monitoring and early warning systems to protect plants and plant health.
• Enable sustainable pest and pesticide management to keep plants healthy while protecting the environment.
• Promote investment in plant health innovations, research, capacity development and outreach.

HYBRID EVENT: 13 May 2024, 14:00-15:20 CEST; Sheik Zayed Center, FAO headquarters Rome. Explore the Programme. Register here and watch it via the Webcast link.

In collaboration with the International Plant Protection Convention.
Contact: IDPH@fao.org 

Publications: 2023 IDPH Impact Report

Get ready to celebrate the International Day of Plant Health!

Healthy plants constitute the foundation for all life on Earth, as well as ecosystem functions, food security and nutrition. Plant health is key to the sustainable development of agriculture required to feed a growing global population by 2050.

Activity book – Healthy plants, healthy planet.

COMMUNICATION MATERIALS: Social Media Trello board.

Get Involved! : Whether you’re a government, city, private business, NGO, journalist, a civil society organization or individual, we can provide you with a range of multimedia content in several languages to share, and to support your International Plant Health Day activity.

More information

• International Year of Plant Health
• Plant Production and Protection
• International Plant Protection Convention

International Day of Plant Health 2023; May 12th.

 FORUM: "Healthy plants can help to end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development." International Day of Plant Health 2023.

The FAO is calling on everyone to raise awareness and take action to keep our plants healthy and help protect the environment and biodiversity. Plants are life – we depend on them for 80 percent of the food we eat and 98 percent of the oxygen we breathe. But international travel and trade has been associated with the introduction and spread of plant pests. Invasive pest species are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss and threaten the delicate web of life that sustains our planet. Pests and diseases have also been associated with rising temperatures which create new niches for pests to populate and spread. In response, the use of pesticides could increase, which harms pollinators, natural pest enemies and organisms crucial for a healthy environment. 

Protecting plant health is essential by promoting environmentally friendly practices such as integrated pest management. International standards for phytosanitary measures (ISPMs) in trade also help prevent the introduction and spread of plant pests across borders. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #PlantHealth, #12May, #PlantHealthDay

EVENTS:  Join the Hybrid Event held by the FAO on May 12th, from 13:30 to 15:30 CET to mark the International Day of Plant Health 2023. Register to participate and Get the Programme Agenda.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED!

Whether you’re a government, city, private business, NGO, journalist, a civil society organization or individual, we can provide you with a range of multimedia content in several languages to share, and to support your International Plant Health Day activity.

International Day of Plant Health 2022; May 12nd.

FORUM: Protecting Plant; Protecting Life. International Day of Plant Health 2022.

The Observance helps highlight issue of plant pests and diseases responsible for the loss of up to 40 percent of food crops, worsening hunger Join the conversation #PlantHealthDay.

FAO estimates that plant pests and diseases cause food crop losses of up to 40 percent, and the damage they cause to agriculture exacerbates the existing issue of growing world hunger and threatens rural livelihoods. Protecting plants from pests and diseases is far more cost effective than dealing with plant health emergencies. Once established, plant pests and diseases are often impossible to eradicate, and managing them is time consuming and expensive.

“Sustaining plant health promotes food security and nutrition while protecting the environment and biodiversity, and boosting livelihoods and economic growth, in the context of global challenges, particularly climate change,” said Jingyuan Xia, Director of FAO’s Plant Production and Protection Division.

“Making the general public more aware of the role of plant health and the ways we need to act urgently to curb the risks of plant pests and diseases, as well as understanding how to restrict the spread of invasive pests will make a significant contribution to global food security,” said Osama El-Lissy, Secretary of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

VIRTUAL EVENT- 12 May, 13:30 - 15:30 CET; Register to participate, get the IDPH2022 Programme.

Get Involved!

Whether you’re a government, city, private business, NGO, journalist, a civil society organization or individual, we can provide you with a range of multimedia content in several languages to share, and to support the International Plant Health Day activities. 

Contact IDPH@fao.org