AFRICAN LEADERS PLEDGE TO IMPROVE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE

(Credit: WHO) Participants at the One Health Conference

14 November 2016 – On Friday, at the landmark West African Regional Conference on One Health in Dakar, Senegal, ministers of health, agriculture and wildlife renewed their commitment to working together to prevent and respond early to public health threats across West Africa. The collaboration comes as the region approaches the three year mark since the first Ebola case in the recent outbreak.  

One Health is an approach that calls on policymakers and health practitioners to consider the inextricable link between human, animal and environmental health when designing public health systems, research and programmes. In recent years, 75% of emerging infectious diseases have originated in animals or animal products. It is believed that Ebola spread to a young boy in rural Guinea from an infected animal, sparking an epidemic that infected more than 28,000 people, including in the capital cities of six West African countries. By taking an integrated approach to public health, communities and countries can identify outbreaks in animals before they spread to humans.

One Health technical and ministerial meeting opens in Dakar

Implementing One Health initiative in West Africa on zoonotic diseases and related public health threats

 

8 November 2016, Dakar – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), jointly with other international and regional partners, promotes a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to advocate for the much needed One Health initiative in the West African region.

 

For FAO, the One Health approach is a prerequisite for ensuring public and animal health security, building agro-ecological resilience, protecting biodiversity, and ensuring efficient use of natural resources and the safety of food supply chains.

 

In the African context, the Ebola virus disease caused tens of thousands of deaths and negatively affected socio-economic activities of communities and countries for months from 2014 to 2016. The implementation of One Health approach is crucial now, as further evidenced by the increasing threat posed by re-emergence of the zoonotic highly pathogenic avian influenza due to H5N1 virus that is rapidly spreading in West and Central Africa with a potential to cause significant negative socio-economic impact and a major threat to public health.

 

“FAO strongly believes that the fight against animal diseases, including zoonotic emerging diseases, require tackling them at  their animal source“, said the FAO Representative a.i. in Senegal, Patrick David, at the opening of the One Health Technical and Ministerial meetings on zoonotic diseases and related public health threats (8-11 November 2016, Dakar).

 

“I believe this meeting will enable us to be a milestone in the formulation of an agenda for the effective and sustainable implementation of the One Health approach”, he added.

GIABA To Hold World Press Conference

The Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) will hold a World Press Conference, bringing journalists and media executives from various media houses within and outside the West African region on 27-28 April, 2012, at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dakar, Senegal GIABA, a specialized institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as well as Financial Action Task Force-Styled Regional Body (FRSB) was established by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS in the year 2000 with the mandate to protect the national economies and financial system of member States from abuse and laundering the proceeds of crime, in an email made  available to Mansa Banko

GIABA To Hold Briefing Session For ECOWAS Ambassadors, Partners

The Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) will hold an Annual briefing session for ECOWAS Ambassadors and development partners in the Republic of Senegal on the 27th April, 2012,  at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dakar, Senegal, a press release from GIABA disclosed. 

GIABA, a specialized institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as well as Financial Action Task Force-Styled Regional Body (FRSB) was established by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS in the year 2000 with the mandate to protect the national economies and financial system of member States from abuse and laundering the proceeds of crime.