The Regional Office for the Near East of the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations will organize in collaboration with the International Plant Protection Convention, a regional consultation to review the Draft International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs).

The workshop will take place from 8:30 a.m. at Safir Hotel, El-Mesaha Square, Dokki, Cairo, during the period from 21 - 23 July, 2008, with the participation of experts from the National Plant Protection Organizations from nine countries of the region: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Qatar, Sudan, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. 

It is worth to note that this is the sixth annual workshop to be convened in the Near East Region to review the Draft International Phytosanitary Standards. 

The workshop aims at reviewing seven of the Draft International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures, including: Regulating wood packaging material in international trade (Revision of ISPM No. 15); Categorization of commodities according to their phytosanitary risk; Fruit fly trapping (proposed Annex 1 to ISPM No. 26 (Establishment of pest free areas for fruit flies (Tephritidae); Glossary of phytosanitary terms (amendments to ISPM No. 5); Terminology of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in relation to the Glossary of phytosanitary terms (proposed supplement to ISPM No. 5); Structure and operation of post-entry quarantine facilities; and Pest free potato micropropagative material and minitubers for international trade. 

The comments gathered during the workshop will be submitted to the Commission for Phytosanitary Measures for endorsement.