AVIAN INFLUENZA: WEEKLY UPDATE ON FAO ACTIVITIES

UNCLAS ROME 00766

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IO/EDA, EUR/SE, EUR/WE, NEA/ENA, EA/SEA, OES/IHA
USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA GGOTTLIEB, PMORRIS; GH/KHILL, DCARROLL
AND BZINNER; AFR/MHARVEY, ALOZANO; EGAT A/AA JSMITH;
ANE/ACLEMENTS, K/CRAWFORD; EGAT/AG JYAZMAN AND JTHOMAS
USDA FOR OSEC STUMP/PENN/LAMBERT/CAINE,
FAS PETTRIE/HUGHES/CLERKIN, APHIS CLIFFORD/HOFFMAN
DAKAR FOR USAID/WARP HBOTTEMBERG; OFDA/RDAVIS AND
JSCICCHITANO
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH/USAID
HHS FOR OGHA (STEIGER)
BRUSSELS FOR USAID/PLERNER AND APHIS/PFERNANDEZ
PARIS FOR GCARNER
USEUCOM FOR ECJ4
VIENNA PASS APHIS
CAIRO PASS APHIS

FROM THE U.S. MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES IN ROME

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFLU EAGR EAID CASC SENV SOCI TBIO FAO WHO AVIAN INFLUENZA
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: WEEKLY UPDATE ON FAO ACTIVITIES
#2 FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 10, 2006

REF: (A) 05 ROME 3949; (B) 05 ROME 3320; (C) 05 ROME 2979;

(D) 05 ROME 1142; (E) 05 ROME 3976; (F) 06 ROME 0087; (G) 06
ROME 0000 (sic); (H) 06 UN ROME 0315; (I) 06 UN ROME 0430;
(J) 06 UN ROME 0464; (K) 06 UN ROME 0626; (L) UN ROME 0678


1. Summary: During three days of high-level and technical
level discussions with FAO on March 7-9, a consensus was
reached that a more robust global response was needed, with
FAO, in coordination with OIE, as the global coordinator.
FAO hosted the series of meetings relating to improving
emergency response capacity for Highly Pathogenic Avian
Influenza (HPAI). The first was a high-level meeting on
March 7 organized at the request of USDA/Animal Plan and
Health Inspection Service Administrator Ron DeHaven, in
follow-up to an APHIS offer to assist FAO with the
implementation of an incident command system (ICS). On
March 8, expanded technical discussions continued with the
participation of other concerned member states -- Canada,
France, Germany and Switzerland -- while bilateral
discussions with FAO Animal Production and Health Division
(AGA) staff continued on March 9. The meetings concluded
with an understanding that FAO/OIE would jointly draft the
"Agreement on a Mechanism for the Avian Influenza Emergency
Coordination," which would be based on existing structures
and frameworks, include all required elements of a crisis
management center, and be circulated to donors as well as
other stakeholders for input. A press conference organized
by the Mission for APHIS Administrator DeHaven resulted in
world-wide coverage of the leadership role the U.S. is
playing in cooperation with FAO. End Summary.


2. At the request of USDA/Animal Plan and Health Inspection
Service Administrator Ron DeHaven, FAO hosted a high-level
meeting on March 7 to discuss how to enhance its emergency
action capabilities for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
(HPAI). The meeting was organized in follow-up to an APHIS
offer to assist FAO with implementation of an incident
command system (ICS). Louise Fresco, FAO Assistant Director
General, chaired the meeting which included the AGA as well
as FAO Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation Division
(TCE) staff. Outside participants included a representative
from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as well
as representatives from the European Commission (EC) and the
Netherlands who have been having similar discussions with
FAO.


3. DeHaven stated that the U.S. recognizes there is a need
for global coordination of H5N1 activities, and sees FAO, in
coordination with OIE, as playing the global coordinator
role. The U.S. was willing to provide both human and
financial resources to this endeavor. Participants agreed
that the steady march of H5N1 across the globe requires a
proportional increase in response capability.

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Assessment and the Incident Command System
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4. Discussions centered around two major components of the
Global Mechanism: A) assessments; and B) an incident command
system (ICS):

A) Assessments: Given that strengthening national
veterinary services is critical to the control and
eradication of H5N1, it was agreed that assessment of
strengths and weaknesses of veterinary services should be a
priority, but that better coordination is needed to avoid
duplication of efforts. There was consensus that OIE should
continue to play the lead role in conducting assessments
based on the Performance, Vision and Strategy tool. The
highest risk countries would be given the highest priority
for assessments. On the basis of the assessments, medium to
long-term veterinary capacity improvement projects would be
developed. The short-term emergency projects and medium to
long-term projects should be integrated to ensure
consistency and effectiveness.

B) Incident Command System: Participants agreed on the need
for FAO to coordinate Country Teams for emergency response
to outbreaks. The Country Teams would be under the control
of FAO, composed of international and national or regional
experts, and available for rapid deployment. FAO emphasized
that deployment of Country Teams would require an invitation
from the affected country. Further work will be needed on
the development of expert lists. It was agreed that FAO and
OIE should coordinate expert lists using OFFLU, the OIE/FAO
network of AI experts, as a starting point. Fresco noted
that the FAO Director-General had recently moved to
eliminate many of the institutional constraints to hiring,
contracting and procurement.

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Global Tactical Plan to be Drafted
-------------- --------------


5. Consensus was reached that FAO, in coordination with OIE,
should continue to be the global coordinator, but that a
more robust global response is needed from FAO, OIE, donors
and other stakeholders. To that end, it was agreed that
FAO and OIE would develop a draft tactical plan informally
referred to as the "Agreement on a Mechanism for the Avian
Influenza Emergency Coordination," which would be largely
built on existing structures, in particular the FAO/OIE
Global Framework for Progressive Control of Transboundary
Animal Diseases (GF-TADs); the FAO/OIE Global Early Warning
and Response System (GLEWS); and the FAO Emergency Centre
for Transboundary Animal Disease Operations (ECTAD). The
first draft of the document will be completed and circulated
to the meeting participants by March 17. After review and
comments due by March 21, the document will be circulated to
a wider group including the World Bank, WHO and other UN
entities involved in this campaign as well as other
stakeholders, including the private sector, wildlife
organizations and consumer interest parties. In an effort
to garner more political support, the paper could eventually
be presented to the 74th OIE General Assembly meeting in May
(21-26) and the International Partnership on Avian and
Pandemic Influenza (IPAPI) Senior Officials Meeting in
Vienna in June (6-7).


6. Funding for the Global Strategy could be provided
through the World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund, consistent
with the outcomes of the Beijing Conference, and from
individual donors. The assessments coordinated under the
Global Strategy would provide a mechanism for prioritizing
and legitimizing requests for funding from the World Bank
Trust Fund. Budget targets for the Global Strategy will
have to be developed.

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Press briefing
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7. USMISSION UN ROME organized a press briefing by APHIS
Administrator DeHaven on March 7. Wire services present
included ADN Kronos (which is both an Italian and Middle
East wire service),ANSA, Associated Press Print and
Television, Reuters Print and Television, and VOA/CBS News.
The storyline was picked up by the Washington Post, Boston
Globe, among other U.S. affiliates, as well as international
papers from Canada to Australia and China. Interestingly,
Reuters also merged the briefing information with a headline
on the death of a girl in China from AI. Overall, coverage
was very positive, highlighting U.S. and EU cooperation with
FAO and positing DeHaven and the U.S. as actively engaged in
coordination efforts. These Rome-based journalists are
rarely exposed to the U.S. position on AI and yet report
regularly about the disease via other sources. USMISSION
UN ROME hopes this is the first of many such briefings by
U.S. officials who travel to Rome for FAO meetings on AI and
other emergencies.

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U.S. Delegation Participates in ECTAD Conference Call
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8. Second, in light of the USDA delegation visit to FAO to
discuss ICS and the establishment of an AEOC-like (APHIS
Emergency Operations Center) situation room at FAO, we were
afforded the opportunity to sit in on a weekly AI ECTAD
(Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases)
conference call with FAO/Bangkok on March 9. FAO/Bangkok
staff (Laurence Gleeson and Wantanee Kalpravidh) provided an
update on the USAID grant, mainly on the recruitment of
technical assistance and international staff, but also
highlighting planned workshops and training sessions as
follows:

-- Progress on Bangkok's recruitment of technical advisors
to work at the country and national level in Cambodia, Laos
and Indonesia is almost complete. The Technical Advisor for
Vietnam has already begun working.

-- National workshops for Cambodia, Lao and Indonesia are
being organized as are "Train-the-Trainer" courses for same,
while national consultants are being recruited to work on
issues relating to lab equipment training.


9. FAO/Rome staff then went around the room providing
updates, running down a list of countries which reported H5
outbreaks -- Pakistan, Serbia & Montenegro, Sweden, Myanmar,
etc. Of note for West Africa, staff reported that three
more states in Nigeria have been confirmed for H5N1, for a
total of 11 states.


10. During an FAO/OIE meeting in Africa during the week of
Feb 27 - March 4, FAO staff noted that Russia publicly
stated that working with the U.S. they have knowledge of at
least 11 countries infected in Africa (FAO staff in the room
asked the U.S. delegation if we were able to confirm this
information; none of the delegation members had any
information that would confirm this assertion). It was
reported that an FAO/Rome staff member would be traveling to
Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Liberia, which could be
added to the list of affected countries in Africa. On
Azerbaijan, staff reported that the 7-year-old girl of the
family of six who was hospitalized was now reportedly
infected (Note: three family members have already died).


11. Other general matters:

-- FAO staff reported that the Dutch Government is providing
short-term funds for the transshipment of samples to labs
for testing.

-- An Argentine wildlife specialist was to begin a 2-3 week
assignment in Rome beginning March 13, while a Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS) specialist would be posted to
Rome temporarily beginning April 1.

-- FAO's Gender and Population Division reported on its
work in Turkey to conduct an assessment on the gender and
social issues associated with AI control and its impacts on
rural livelihoods. The ECTAD Socio-economics and Policy
Working Group is currently developing and testing rapid
assessment tools for use by FAO emergency response teams.

-- Lastly, during the week of March 13 FAO will host the
64th (UN) Inter-Agency Standing Committee meeting, which
will include a session on on Avian and Human Influenza (AHI)
and Humanitarian Action.


12. USMISSION UN ROME will continue to disseminate widely
FAO activities to combat and control Avian Influenza.

Hall