Side event # 3: Operationalizing One Health approach to prevent future pandemics

the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa, in preparation for the Regional Conference in February 2022, convenes a regional Stakeholder dialogue to engage in informal consultations with Member States and stakeholders from the Region to shape define the agenda of the Conference. The dialogue will allow substantial technical deliberations on the thematic and programmatic areas which are deemed important by Member States, in particular in addressing the four regional priorities. The deliberations of the meeting will lead to a stocktaking of the COVID19 crises and the impact on agriculture value chains, food security and nutrition, lessons learned on actions take to cope with the crises and recover, with special focus on innovation and best practices.

         In addition to its impact on human health, economy, trade, food security, and employment, the COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse ramifications on the livestock sector, disrupting livestock supply chains ranging from production, marketing and diseases prevention to the sanitary control dimensions.

The “One Health” approach plays a vital role in the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases and therefore future pandemics. In consequence, to realize the One Health concept further was identified as crucial in the Near East and North Africa Region.

         In the described context, a virtual technical meeting has been organized, counting on the attendance of high level technical officials from the veterinary services, livestock, public health departments, representatives of partner institutions and key stakeholders, to engage with the inputs of FAO technical experts in a substantive dialogue on the way forward of the One Health approach in our Region, under the title “Operationalizing One Health approach to prevent future pandemics”. It is envisaged that the One Health dialogue will allow the sharing of successful One Health initiatives and produce recommendations on how to operationalize One Health in the NENA region.

         The findings and recommendations of the meeting will be used to develop the agenda of the forthcoming Ministerial Regional Conference and its Preparatory Committee (in late 2021), and be reflected in the thirty-fifth Session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC), will be held at the Ministerial level in February 2022.