First: A request to be put to the Arab League
that a Regional Organization for Animal Health and Animal Production that
includes the countries of the Middle East, North Africa and the Nile Basin and
is under the umbrella of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD)
in coordination with the (FAO / OIE). This is in recognition of the important
role that the animal production sector has in increasing the economy of the
Middle East, North Africa and the Nile Basin countries by meeting the animal
protein per capita requirement in those countries and, at the same time,
reducing the necessity of importing animal products while raising the
possibility of exporting animal products thereby assisting the growth of the
national economy of those countries and increasing per capita income.
The principal goal in
creating a Regional Organization to promote the trade of disease-free livestock
and safe animal products is to secure food security for the people of the
region.
A main technical activity
of the Organization is the creation of a network to monitor and control animal
diseases and improve the capacity to diagnose diseases, improve animal
quarantine facilities, up to date veterinary regulations in addition to the
establishment of regional laboratories. An epidemiological map will also be
prepared, and maintained, for the entire region and a small epidemiological information
center, similar to that of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), will
be established in order to provide the region with regular bulletins of epidemiological
information, oversee the production of sera and veterinary vaccines and the
implementation of regulations relating to the movement of animals across international
borders.
Second: The conference attendees unanimously agreed
that veterinary governance is a vital requirement that must be met in order to
regulate the role of veterinary services and work thereby raising their
efficiency and increasing coordination between the countries of the region in
order to eradicate expatriate epidemic diseases. As a means of achieving this the
attendees propose the following:
1. Identify points of weaknesses
in infrastructure which affect the ability of individual governments and need
to be strengthened to gain institutional improvement.
2. The need to provide support
for these activities to be achieved and maintained is essential and the Policy
Committee must do what is necessary to support it. There must be a sincere
effort to focus on the required support programs located in the AU / IBAR.
3. The Arab countries are
requested to cooperate and provide information as to the number of
veterinarians each country has and provide a census of the animal wealth they
already have.
4. Emphasis should be
placed on the harmonization between veterinary training programs in different
countries in order to unify them.
5. The need to develop
Institutes for Veterinary Assistants.
6. The need to exchange
experiences through workshops and mutual visits.
Third: Call on states to follow the program that was prepared
by the FAO / OIE (PCP) to control foot and mouth disease and utilize the technical support that these
organizations offer to countries in the Middle East to control the disease in
addition to the support provided by the (EUFMD) and the African Union represented
in the AU / IBAR. The establishment of a FMD vaccine bank, with the capability
to supply vaccines against the viral strains in disease outbreaks in any country,
is requested.
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