Miller Magazine Issue: 139 July 2021

95 ARTICLE MILLER / july 2021 I encourage all stakeholders to get involved in this project. The greater accessibility to this platform, the greater the benefits that will be realized for global trade. If you are interested to learn more information, please visit the IPPC ePhyto Solution page at https://www.eph - ytoexchange.org/landing/index.html. Despite the economic downturn suffered under the Covid-19 pandemic, there are indicators that economies are coming back online. The pandemic showed us how resil- ient many of our protocols, regulations, and processes are. Yet, challenges in managing an ever-growing population, which results in greater and more complex trade patterns, and ensuring that our critical resources – human, capital, and technology – are adequately funded will continue to be critical to ensure that trade continues unhindered. Digital readiness in the supply chain has been revealed by the current pandemic as an urgent and critical need. Electronic phytosanitary cer- tificates as part of a broader endeavour for trade facilitation has proven itself indispens- able during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The Solution has proven that it can be a tool to enhance global collaboration in a safe and secure way. The IPPC ePhyto Solution has therefore gained more significance than ever. One global solution, which abolishes the need for bilateral negotiations between NPPO’s and integrates a low-cost level potentially all trad- ing countries of the world through a simple XML-language secured Hub/GenS-transmis- sion solution. While the onboarding to the ePhyto Hub is accelerating, pushed by the challenging trade environment under pan- demic conditions, the usability is challenged by administrative and regulatory barriers and competing bilateral discussions and imple- mentation of national solutions. A uniformed and harmonized implementation of the ePh- yto Solution ensures trade can continue in a safe, undisrupted, and fast manner, - resilient to other crisis and ensure the stability of the food chain, without interruption or losses. About the author Alejandra Danielson Castillo serves as the regional director for South Asia for the U.S. Grains Council, a non-profit organization that promotes the use of U.S. barley, corn, sor- ghum and related products worldwide. In this capacity, Danielson Castillo evaluates, plans, coordinates, implements and manages the Council’s market develop- ment programs in the South Asia region which includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Prior to the Council, Danielson Castillo worked in trade execution with Cargill focused on trade risk management as well as vessel and container logistics for cotton, grains and oilseeds. Danielson Castillo also gained experience as an international freight forwarder prior to entering trade execution. Before joining Cargill, she worked as a project manager for the Mayo Clinic and an associate director of admissions for St. Catherine University. Danielson Castillo holds a bachelor’s degree in politi- cal science and a master’s degree in strategic manage- ment and organizational leadership, both from St. Cath- erine University.