In April 2016, the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) adopted the first formal initiative, proposed by Finland, to declare 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health.

Following approval of the IYPH resolution by the Fortieth Session of the FAO Conference in July 2017, the FAO Director-General informed the United Nations Secretary-General about the decision and requested that the resolution be presented at the following session of the United Nations General Assembly.

In December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted unanimously the resolution A/RES/73/252, which officially declared 2020 the International Year of Plant Health (Annex A).

To support the proclamation of the IYPH, the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures established the IPPC IYPH Steering Committee in 2016, which later served as the IYPH Technical Advisory Board (IYPH TAB). The IYPH TAB served as a pool of knowledge and expertise, reviewing technical publications, assisting in the development of communication materials, acting as the programme committee for the International Plant Health Conference (IPHC), and developing the proceedings coming out of the IPHC.

On 21 December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously voted to declare 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health and mandated FAO, in collaboration with the IPPC, to facilitate its implementation.

In 2019, FAO and the IPPC Secretariat established the IYPH International Steering Committee (ISC) to guide the development and implementation of the IYPH Action Plan, to stimulate dialogue with partners, and to help mobilize political and financial support for the IYPH. The IYPH ISC had 18 members: 7 representatives from the 7 FAO regional groups, 7 alternates, 2 members of the IYPH TAB (chair and vice-chair), and 7 representatives from United Nations agencies and international organizations. Geographic and economic groups of countries, regional plant protection organizations, academia, international agricultural research organizations, civil society organizations, global farmer organizations, the private sector and resource partners were also represented in the ISC. In addition, FAO regional offices were invited to attend IYPH ISC meetings as observers. The IYPH ISC held its first meeting on 14 June 2019 at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, and met 18 times to oversee the implementation of the IYPH Action Plan.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IYPH International Steering Committee decided to extend the official IYPH until 1 July 2021.