The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) developed a Global Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) Control Strategy that was endorsed in 2012 by representatives from more than 100 countries. The aim of the Global FMD Control Strategy is to reduce the global burden of FMD and the risk of reintroduction of the disease into free areas. The strategy encourages endemic countries to progressively control FMD using the progressive control pathway for FMD (PCP-FMD) approach at country level, with aligned coordination at regional level.

The Middle East countries have participated in four Regional Roadmap meetings aiming to monitor their progress along the PCP. The 1st Middle East FMD Epidemiology and Laboratory Networks meeting aims to enforce the regional efforts, share information, exchange expertise, and build the regional and national capacity for the control of FMD and other important transboundary animal disease such as Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR).

The meeting will establish the regional epidemiology and laboratory networks for serious engagement into capacity developments in support to the implementation of the control strategies with a two-year workplan. Also to train the countries on the use of the epidemiology and laboratory assessment tools and PCP-SAT with a good understanding of the risk assessment and surveillance principles to support the drafting of their FMD strategic plans through their current national plan.

This meeting will be attended by the Representatives of Arab Organization for Agriculture Development (AOAD), Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) secretariat, FAO, OIE, EuFMD, World Reference Laboratory, ANSES, and epidemiology experts. Along with laboratory and epidemiology focal points from Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Oman.

This meeting is being organized under the umbrella of the FAO/OIE Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs), in collaboration with the European Commission for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD) and co-funded by the European Union and the Republic of Italy. The meeting will be hosted by the Government of Egypt. 

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