PILLAR 3 SUPPORT TO THE GF-TADS GLOBAL FMD CONTROL STRATEGY

Lebanon to join. The next Joint Planning Committee (JPC) meeting is to be held in MALTA, in March,

under the Co-Presidency of Malta and Mauritania.

He presented the work plan as a welcome initiative that had been well co-ordinated with FAO and OIE through the Regional Coordination Unit in Tunis, with valuable outcomes for the REMESA

countries in North Africa that should also contribute significantly to progress in the region.

There are five outputs of the Component, agreed with the REMESA RCU, which were also endorsed

by the Libya and Portuguese presidents of REMESA. Broadly, they divide into assisting Libya and

Mauritania to develop national RBSPs, to assist the three Maghreb countries in their surveillance

effort as needed for recognition by the OIE of FMD freedom and to build confidence from surveillance on the FMD situation (early warning/confidence in freedom) on the Libya-Tunisia border.

Regional laboratory-epi networking is also needed as well as the regular six-monthly co-ordination

meetings, and one small part of the program supports this. He proposed the program, with a budget

of 212,500€, to the Committee.

Discussion

The position of Egypt was questioned. They attend REMESA meetings but are not operationally covered by the Tunis offices of FAO or OIE, so at the consultation with the REMESA RCU it was agreed

that support to Egypt might be more appropriate under Component 2.2, but with reporting on

actions to the REMESA JPC. Dr Füssel asked to what extent is REMESA concerned about the FMD

situation in the Sahel countries that generates the risk to North Africa? Dr Angot indicted it was a

serious concern but these countries are not under the framework of the REMESA, so in his view,

support to FMD surveillance was needed but would be more appropriate under another Component, such as 3.3 (Global Laboratory Networks).

Dr Domenech mentioned that OIE highly appreciated to have the consultations with EuFMD

Secretariat as they had been conducted, and appreciated the effort to reach commonly agreed

Outcomes. The OIE position is that the budget should be used to support the countries and not to

fund the REMESA RCU Secretariat or its travel, as these are expected contributions of FAO or OIE.

Conclusions

- The work plan was endorsed, with the understanding that activities involving Egypt would be

considered under component 2.2 and support to FMD information gathering on risk from

West Africa, under the Component 3.3;

- The Budget allocated t the component should be devoted to the support of the countries,

and not for funding travel or other costs associated with REMESA regional co-ordination unit;

- Jean Luc ANGOT will be the focal point on the Executive for the Component.