Bamako Conference on Avian and Pandemic flu: Canadian Plans

UNCLAS OTTAWA 003491 SIPDIS AIAG, WHA/CAN, OES DHHS for Office of Global Health Affairs SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR KFLU TBIO PREL EAID CA SUBJECT: Bamako Conference on Avian and Pandemic flu: Canadian Plans ¶1. (U) The Government of Canada (GoC) will send a delegation to attend the fourth international conference on avian and pandemic influenza (API) in Bamako, Mali, December 6 through 8. Canada's Ambassador to Mali, Isabelle Roy, will lead the delegation; her deputy will be Dr. Arlene King, Director General for Pandemic Preparedness, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). ¶2. (U) Also attending from the GoC will be: Sandra Fry, Director, Science Advice and Biohazard Control at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA); Sandra Black, Senior Policy Advisor, Social Development Policy, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA); Lindsay Glassco, Deputy Director, Health and Population Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT); and Robert Fry, Policy Officer in that same division of DFAIT. ¶3. (U) At the Bamako conference Canada intends to announce that its financial commitments to date to help the global preparedness and prevention effort on API has reached C$105.5 million. Of this total, C$64.4 million represents commitments made since the Beijing conference in January 2006. ¶4. (U) Embassy understands that Canadian authorities provided complete details on their plans for Bamako and their ongoing commitment to combating API to Ambassador Lange on November 27. Wilkins