Montpellier (France).

Great efforts have been made over several decades to control African trypanosomosis and its vectors. However, whilst over the past twenty years great advances have been made towards the elimination of sleeping sickness, progress in the control of animal trypanosomosis (AT) has been much more limited. To help face these persisting challenges, innovation is needed, aiming to enhance and rationalize actions against AT. To this end, in 2017 FAO initiated the development of the progressive control pathway (PCP) for African animal trypanosomosis (AAT or nagana). The PCP for AAT was developed in collaboration with the African Union, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD). Since 2017, FAO made efforts to further develop the PCP and promote its adoption at the country level, and a major boost to this endeavour came in September 2021 with the launch of the project COMBAT (COntrolling and progressively Minimizing the Burden of Animal Trypanosomosis). COMBAT uses the PCP as its overarching strategic framework, and it will allow FAO and partners to develop international guidelines for the PCP. The project will also enable 11 affected countries to develop PCP-smart national strategies and roadmaps.

On 22-23 September, a workshop will be held in Montpellier, France, in the framework of the COMBAT project. The event, jointly organized by FAO and CIRAD, aims to create awareness and improve the understanding of the PCP among the institutions participating in the project, and in particular the Africa-based ones. It will also allow sharing ideas on how best to further develop the PCP approach, with a view to developing broadly agreed implementation guidelines.

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