Experts from across the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) gathered in Rome for the FAO Early Warning Workshop on 14 and 15 December 2022. Organized under the FAO Emergency Prevention System for Animal Health (EMPRES-AH), the event reviewed the current FAO initiatives that increase capacity for early warning of animal diseases, including zoonosis, and coordinated efforts to optimize both the use of resources and the coverage of the Organization’s early warning programmes.

As part of its long-standing role in global disease intelligence and early warning in animal health, FAO established the Global Early Warning and Response System for Major Animal Diseases, including Zoonoses (GLEWS) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) in 2006, which builds on the alert and response mechanisms of the different organizations to enhance their collective early warning and response capacity. Additionally, FAO, through various animal health initiatives, facilitates capacity building at regional and country level, as well as information management at global level, making it possible for countries to anticipate disease outbreaks and respond earlier.

Bringing together animal health early warning experts working at FAO headquarters and the Organization’s decentralized offices, the two-day workshop was organized to help improve early warning coordination for the effective containment and control of high priority animal diseases, including zoonoses, and identify gaps, synergies, and national and global early warning priorities.

Learn more about FAO’s early warning and disease intelligence work.