OIE Regional Seminar on Communication
(Bangkok, Thailand, 30-31 October 2008)
The Meeting was attended by 63 participants from Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, PR China, Fiji, India, Japan, RO Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vanuatu and Vietnam, private sectors, media, FAO and OIE.
For the Opening Session of the Seminar, welcome remarks were made by Dr T. Fujita, OIE Asia-Pacific, Honourable Sompat Kaewpichit, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand, Dr Sakchai Sriboonsue, Director General, Department of Livestock Development, Thailand and Dr Jean-Luc Angot, Deputy Director General of OIE.
This is the first Regional meeting on Communication for Asia and the Pacific and provided participants with a lot of important information about communication strategies on animal health. In order to facilitate functions and activities for animal health, scientific information on animal health is crucial to appropriately send to all stakeholders and audiences, through a comprehensive communication strategy. The Seminar identified that this strategy is particularly important, when Member countries encounter a disease crisis such as HPAI. Also identified was the growing importance and demand for good communication in order to send an accurate message on animal health; animal diseases and zoonoses, and to avoid some confusions or misunderstanding or creation of speculation.
It was also recognised that good communication promotes the improvement of technical aspects of animal health, which include effective disease prevention/control and preparedness.
The meeting recommendations included the following (abstract; A copy of the whole conclusions and recommendations is attached).
- An improved global, regional sub-regional and national veterinary governance must encompass communication strategies and resources directed to the general public and other stakeholders.
- The importance of the process of communication must be one of the priorities of Veterinary Services, particularly for disseminating information on any issue under the competence of Veterinary Services.
- The OIE continue to provide technical support to all Members particularly developing countries to strengthen the communication capacities in the Veterinary Services in order to continuously respond to national and international demands and to help Members to comply with OIE standards guidelines and recommendations.