The world was declared officially free from rinderpest in May 2011, only the second infectious disease to be eradicated globally after smallpox.

This achievement paved the way to apply the lessons learned to other diseases that undermine food security, public health, the sustainability of agriculture systems and rural development, including peste des petits ruminants (PPR).

PPR is caused by a virus closely related to rinderpest against which there is an inexpensive highly effective vaccine.

In 2015, the Peste des petits ruminants Global Control and Eradication Strategy (PPR GCES) was launched, with the aim of achieving PPR global eradication by 2030. The PPR GCES was operationalized through the first five-year PPR GEP (2017-2021), which laid the foundation for implementing the strategy.

In 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) launched the revision of the first five-year implementation of the PPR GCES (PPR GEP I), in order to formulate the second phase of the PPR GEP (PPR GEP II) and the blueprint of recommended activities for countries and regions towards PPR freedom by 2030.

PPR eradication will make a substantial contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and have lasting benefits, including improved primary animal health services for the most marginalized communities and better capacitated animal health systems to combat other endemic, emerging and zoonotic diseases.

The objectives of the meeting are:

1. to launch the book ‘Rinderpest and its eradication’ and draw lessons from the eradication of other diseases;
2. to understand the link between PPR eradication and global development objectives;
3. to launch the second phase of the PPR GEP; and
4. to advocate and create awareness for funding for PPR eradication.