News & Media

The National Committee of Biosecurity held its second meeting for 2024 covering a wide range of critical topics to enhance the biosecurity in the United Arab Emirates. The committee placed particular emphasis on the need to strengthen mosquito control efforts, particularly following the extraordinary climatic event that resulted in record-breaking rainfall in the country. The committee also discussed Epidemic Preparedness Map Project and National Biosecurity Framework. HE Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, chaired the second meeting of the National Committee of Biosecurity, which was held virtually.

- The campaign, which will continue until May 2025, launched its first phase in February 2022. - The Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Emirates Health Services (EHS) are actively promoting awareness regarding diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and propagating effective preventive measures at the national level. - This phase aligns with a surge in rainfall across the UAE, that led to an increased risk of mosquito proliferation in water pools and damp areas, which necessitated the escalation of the Anti-Mosquito Campaign. - The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment urges all community members and partners to collaborate with local authorities in facilitating mosquito control efforts and to report any sightings or breeding locations of mosquitoes through the call centre at 8003050. - The Ministry is constantly monitoring the situation and working in cooperation with the authorities to address operational challenges in mosquito control efforts in various areas. - The Ministry leverages its capabilities and resources, collaborating with local and federal authorities, to deploy qualified teams to address any developments or changes that lead to an increase in the spread of mosquitoes across various regions. - All materials deployed in mosquito control are human-safe, exclusively targeting the eradication of mosquitoes. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) has announced enhanced efforts in the third phase of the Anti-Mosquito Campaign in collaboration with the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), and in partnership with relevant local authorities across the UAE, including municipalities in different emirates. The campaign launched its first phase in February 2022 and the current phase continues until May 2025. The third phase of the campaign is part of the commitment to eradicating mosquito breeding hotspots. It aims to minimise mosquito infestation across various locations across the country. The UAE recently experienced heavy rainfall, which increased the risk of mosquitoes proliferating in water pools and damp areas.

HE Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak led the UAE delegation to the 38th session of the General Assembly of the Arab Organisation for Agricultural Development (AOAD), which concluded yesterday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their Excellencies, the Ministers of Agriculture of the member states of the Arab League attended the meeting, which covered key topics aimed at strengthening the ties between Arab countries, and to enhance their agricultural cooperation and raise their contribution in improving Arab food security. HE Al Dahak stressed that the UAE has an integrated vision to strengthen food security at the national level. This calls for transforming the country’s food ecosystems and the entire food value chain into sustainable climate-smart ecosystems to face climate change, as well as the challenges resulting from it such as scarcity of water resources and lack of arable land. The vision also aims to establish advanced agricultural development projects and launch local and global initiatives to strengthen cooperation with friendly countries and relevant international organisations to enhance global food security as a shared goal that calls for coordinated action.