The UAE Ministry of Environment and Water has announced its participation in the Global Conference on Biological Threat Reduction held recently at Maison De La Chimie in Paris, France. Organised by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), the 3-day seminar discussed the ways to strengthen links between the health and security sectors through the involvement of key partners in public health, animal health and the security sector.
The conference talked about strategies for preventing, detecting and responding to all biological threats through a series of key topics, including ‘International Initiatives and Frameworks to Reduce Threats and Infectious Disease Disaster,’ ‘Sustainable Strengthening of Health Systems,’ and ‘Ensuring the World Remains Free From Eradicated Diseases.’
Other highly relevant topics such as ‘Surveillance, Early Detection and Disease Information Reporting’ and ‘Resilience Against Accidents and Disasters’ were discussed On the other hand, the ‘Capacity Building, Outreach, Education’ category included ‘Engaging Scientists and Veterinarians,’ ‘Laboratory Capacity Building,’ and ‘Sustainability.’
Ahmed Al Hashmi, Director of the Ministry of Environment and Water’s Biodiversity Department, said that the Ministry’s participation in the conference comes within the framework of its efforts to implement the UAE National Strategy for Bio-security. The strategy represents the roadmap for promoting bio-security through the development and updating of laws and regulations, building capabilities to detect biological hazards, devising plans to prevent the transmission of biological threats, and ways to reduce the risk of natural or human factors which may affect the country. The UAE’s strategic vision of building an ‘Integrated Bio-security System’ will contribute to strengthening of the security and safety of the country.
Explaining further, Al Hashmi said that the aim is to protect the country from the impacts of biological threats. This includes the safety and security of residents as well as animal and plant , and the control of the biological agents and prevent their diversion to biological risks or incidents, prevent their spread and to reduce their impact, through policies and procedures, and capacity building. In conclusion, he noted that the conference is an important scientific platform for open dialogue, the exchange of knowledge, the review of issues related to biological security, and the reinforcement of linkages between the health and security sectors.