His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and leading animal health and well-being experts will attend the launch of the 15th Conference of the Regional Commission for the Middle East of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) that convenes in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi next week.
Hosted by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in coordination with World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), the conference will run from November 10 to 14, 2019 in Fairmont Hotel Bab Al Bahr. It will bring together over 80 animal health and livestock experts, and members from OIE’s Middle East offices, and stakeholders from agricultural and animal husbandry sectors, including the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development.
Coinciding with the establishment of OIE’s Sub-Regional Representation (SRR) in Abu Dhabi this month, the conference will feature a series of closed informative workshops and presentations on OIE’s role in supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the state of animal health and welfare in the UAE and the wider region, as well as the importance of risk communication and emergency management of emerging and transboundary animal diseases in the region. The experts will also examine the trade of wildlife within the framework of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Pointing out that the conference will serve as an important platform to exchange successful experiences and best practices, examine the important challenges and emerging opportunities in the sector, and outline effective recommendations for its sustainability, His Excellency Sultan Alwan, Assistant Undersecretary for the Regions Sector at MOCCAE, said: "The UAE has today emerged as a preferred host nation for major international events in key sectors, including the environment and related disciplines. OIE’s selection of the UAE to host its Sub Regional Representation recognizes the country’s leadership in the field of animal health and well-being.”
Alwan added: “The UAE prioritizes the issue of animal health, and has in recent years, intensified efforts to develop and protect its livestock and mitigate risks resulting from common and infectious animal diseases in line with the latest international standards and systems. We will continue to shape mechanisms for the enhancement of this sector.”
The outcomes and recommendations emerging from the conference will be presented at the 88th OIE general session in Paris in May 2020.
For his part, His Excellency Saeed Al Bahari Salem Al Ameri, Director General of ADAFSA, stressed the importance of the UAE's efforts in enhancing its biosecurity system and its implications for a unified health approach and the development of the country’s livestock sector.
He reiterated the ADAFSA’s keenness in supporting the OIE SRR office in promoting animal health worldwide, and said: "We seek to strengthen synergies with the World Organization for Animal Health and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in supporting their efforts to drive the implementation of international standards in the sector. We also look forward to enhanced efforts by national and regional veterinary laboratories in addressing and controlling animal diseases, especially transboundary diseases, and ensuring animal welfare practices across the board.”