Wanted: A clear strategy

The UAE Ministry of Environment and Water participated in the Global Conference on Biological Threat Reduction, organised by World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) between 30 June-2 July.

The three-day conference focussed on enhancing collaboration and building a consensus for action to strengthen the ability of public and animal health systems to prevent, detect and respond to all biological threats whether they are deliberate, accidental or natural, in particular at the animal source of zoonosis.

The OIE global conference was the first of its kind - bringing together the key players from the OIE, WHO, INTERPOL, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and national governments representatives from health and security/defence communities from more than 120 countries.

Ahmed Al Hashmi, Director of Biodiversity Department at the Ministry of Environment and Water, said the UAE's participation in the conference is part of its efforts to strengthen its biological security according to a comprehensive strategy for protecting life and assets from biological threats. –End-

Image by: WAM