Replay

On behalf of GF-TADs for Europe, and the Veterinary Authority of Spain, WOAH Regional Representation for Europe invites all Members and partners worldwide to a second technical webinar to update on the African swine fever (ASF) epidemiological situation in Spain. The previous webinar on the topic took place on December 22, 2025, and brought together more than 250 participants.

This webinar will provide an overview of the current epidemiological situation, the response measures implemented, and coordination at regional and international levels. It will also serve as an opportunity to share experience and lessons learned.

Date: 16 April 2026
Time: 13.00 to 14.30 CET
Format: Online (Zoom webinar)

Participation in this webinar is free, but registration is mandatory via the link below. The webinar will be conducted in English, with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish, French and Russian.

We look forward to your participation.

Agenda

Opening and moderation: Dr Budimir Plavsic, Permanent Regional Secretariat of GF-TADs Europe

Opening remarks and Chair: Dr Bernard Van Goethem, President of GF-TADs for Europe, Chair of SGE-ASF

Epidemiological situation of African swine fever in wild boar in Spain and disease control measures: Dr Emilio García Muro, Spanish CVO and WOAH Delegate

Laboratory findings and virus characterization: Dr Manuel Durán Ferrer, National Reference Laboratory and Dr Carmina Gallardo, EURL (INIA CISA)

Moderated Q&A: Dr Gregorio Torres, Head of the Science and Disease Management Department

Closing remarks: Dr Bernard Van Goethem

Join Us for World Tuberculosis Day: “Advancing the One Health Approach for Control of Zoonotic Tuberculosis in Africa“

WHO and WOAH are jointly hosting a webinar to mark World Tuberculosis Day which is observed on 24^th March 2026, bringing together human and animal health experts, national programme managers, and development partner to advance the One Health response to zoonotic tuberculosis (zTB) across Africa.

Zoonotic tuberculosis, caused by members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), and principally Mycobacterium bovis  which remains a neglected yet significant burden in the community and in livestock. Transmission occurs primarily through direct contact with infected livestock or consumption of unpasteurised milk and dairy products, disproportionately affecting pastoral and smallholder farming communities in low- and middle-income countries.

In 2017, WHO, WOAH, FAO, and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) jointly published the Global Roadmap for Zoonotic Tuberculosis. Seven years on, implementation of this roadmap across remains uneven, constrained by weak inter-sectoral coordination, diagnostic gaps, and limited investment.

WOAH has provided internationally recognised standards for the diagnosis, surveillance, and control of mammalian tuberculosis in animals through two key instruments: Terrestrial Animal Health Code, Chapter 8.12. and Terrestrial Manual, Chapter 3.1.13.

 In 2024, WOAH published guidelines on control of MTBC infection animal in livestock to provide guidance to for those countries who are looking for alternative approaches to test and slaughter to reduce the burden of the disease in animals.

This webinar provides a timely platform to review progress, and look at the country level evidence from Algeria, Madagascar, and best practises in Ethiopia to mobilise renewed political and financial commitment for zoonotic tuberculosis.

The webinar will be offered in English with simultaneous translation in French.

Last date of registration -15^th March 2026

The webinar is open to public health and veterinary professionals, national TB and zoonoses programme managers, researchers, One Health practitioners, and development partners.

Agenda

Time	Session	Content	Speakers
12:00–12:05	Opening	Welcome address: brief introduction to the webinar, overview of the agenda	Prof Dissou Affolabi National TB Programme Coordinator of Benin and Head of the WARN/CARN-TB Network Secretariat Dr Marcus Lacerda Director, Special programme for research and training in Tropical diseases (TDR) – WHO – Geneva
12:05–12:15	Gaps/Progress in the roadmap for zoonotic tuberculosis and challenges	Current situation & challenges faced in controlling zoonotic TB	Dr Corinne Merle WHO – TDR Irwin Lay WHO, Department of HIV, TB Hepatitis and STIs
12:15–12:25	WOAH Strategies for control of bovine tuberculosis	Tools for endemic countries. Guidelines for control of MTBC infection in livestock	Dr Monal Ajit Daptardar Scientific Coordinator, WOAH
12:25–12:55	1. Madagascar 2. Algeria 3. Ethiopia	Country Perspectives focusing on needs and next steps	Dr Joelle Razafimahefa Faculté de Médecine Fianarantsoa, Madagascar Dr Maamar Khames Université de Médéa, Algérie Dr. Matios Lakew Researcher Animal Health Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia
12:55–13:05	How do countries build a Business Case for investment in ZTB	From a donor’s perspective. How to catalyze investment towards the implementation of ZTB Roadmap – towards a compelling business case	Dr Nick Juleff Deputy Director Gates Foundation
13:05–13:25	Q & A – Interactive discussion on how to scale up	Open round of discussion	All Speakers
13:25–13:30	Closing Remarks	Takeaway messages	Dr Gregorio Torres WOAH

Replay

Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) of the world face several challenges in preventing and responding to avian influenza outbreaks, particularly among small holder poultry systems (SHPS), also referred to as backyard or village poultry systems. Low sensitivity surveillance systems in SHPS hinder early detection, thereby increasing the spread of the virus. Furthermore, conventional surveillance programmes often demand substantial and ongoing funding while lacking the flexibility to address the full range of disease surveillance needs in SHPS, particularly where resources are constrained.

In the 90th WOAH General Session in May 2023, following the animal health forum and technical item on avian influenza, Resolution No.28 was adopted that include the recommendation (Number 6) to support poultry keepers, particularly smallholders, in implementing correct usage of disease preventive and control tools, such as enhanced biosecurity, early identification of clinical signs, and reporting, to prevent the introduction and spread of HPAI. It was identified as a need to provide Members with practical surveillance guidelines targeting small-scale poultry farmers (backyard), tailored to the local socio-economic context.

To this end, WOAH has published the practical guideline on Surveillance of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza for Smallholder Poultry Systems in Resource-Limited Settings, tailored to local contexts, to safeguard farmers’ livelihoods and ensuring the stability of the poultry industry. The guidelines provide practical recommendations to assist Veterinary Authorities (VA) and Veterinary Services (VS) in designing surveillance programmes for the detection of HPAIV in SHPS, tailored to the needs and contexts of resource-limited settings.  

To present these guidelines, the launch webinar will be offered in English. The guidelines will also be made available in French and Spanish in due course.

Agenda

Time	Topic	Speakers
12.30 – 12.35pm	Opening remarks	Dr Baba Soumare WOAH DDG-Global Framework and Capacity Building
12.35 – 12.40pm	Drafting of the guidelines (Background and process)	Dr Gounalan Pavade Senior Scientific Coordinator, WOAH
12.40 – 13.10pm	Overview of the guidelines	Dr Sergio Guerrero Sanchez and Dr Angus Lam   Centre for Applied One Health Research and Policy Advice, City University of Hong Kong
13.10 – 13.20pm	Member’s experience  (HPAI surveillance in smallholder poultry systems – Asia)	Dr Sothyra Tum National Animal Health and Production Research Institute, Cambodia
13.20 – 13.30pm	Member’s experience (HPAI surveillance in smallholder poultry systems – Africa)	Dr Clement Meseko National Veterinary Research Institute, Nigeria
13.30 – 13.40pm	Member’s experience (HPAI surveillance in smallholder poultry systems – Americas)	Dr Christopher Hamilton-West University Chile, Chile
Q & A session (15m)
13.55 – 14.00pm	Next steps and closing	Dr Gregorio Torres Head Science department, WOAH

Replay

WOAH hosted a webinar to mark the launch of the WOAH Guidelines ‘Mitigating Disease Transmission Risk at the Wildlife–Livestock Interface to Facilitate Safe Trade’. 

Transboundary animal diseases (TADs), such as African swine fever (ASF), avian influenza (AI) and foot and mouth disease (FMD) continue to spread worldwide, with serious consequences for animal health, trade and livelihoods. In many countries where these diseases are endemic, infections can pass between wild and domestic animals, sustaining infection transmission cycles that are difficult to control because of the complex factors and risk pathways involved. 

For some diseases, WOAH standards allow the recognition of animal health status in effectively separated subpopulations and require that Members do not ban international livestock trade solely in response to disease occurrences in wildlife. 

These guidelines offer practical approaches for reducing the risk of disease spillover between wildlife and livestock populations, applicable across a range of farming systems. They present a structured methodology to support Veterinary Services in managing any wildlife-livestock interface scenarios through customised risk mitigation programmes, with interventions tailored to local conditions. 

To present these guidelines, the launch webinar was offered in English. The guidelines will also be made available in French and Spanish in due course. 

Agenda

Time	Topic	Speakers
1:00 - 1:05 pm	Opening remarks	Dr Baba Soumare (TBD) WOAH DDG
1:05 - 1:10 pm	Drafting of the guidelines (Background and process)	Dr Yuka Moribe  WOAH
1:10 – 1:35  pm	Overview of the guidelines	Prof Christian Gortázar  Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
1:35 - 1:50  pm	Member’s experience (ASF)	Dr Silvia Bellini Vice President of SCAD; Staff Director, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna, Italy
1:50 - 2:00  pm	Member’s experience (HPAI)	Dr Daniela Pacheco de Lacerda  Departamento de Saúde Animal – Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária, Brazil
Q&A (25 min)
2:25 – 2:30  pm	Next steps and closing remarks	Dr Gregorio Torres  WOAH

Replay

The current season of High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) started with high level of outbreaks causing significant mortality in domestic and wild birds, requiring authorities to take swift action to curb its spread.  It’s crucial for interested stakeholders including veterinary professionals, policy makers, and industry stakeholders to stay informed on the ongoing current global HPAI situation and the risk factors that drive transmission along poultry production.

Under the GF-TAD framework, this technical webinar is organised to share updates on the HPAI epidemiological situation and its impact globally.

Key topics covered in this webinar include:

• Global and regional epidemiological situation of HPAI
• Characteristics of circulating HPAI viruses
• Risk assessment
• Impact and country experiences in handling outbreaks

Agenda

Replay

This webinar is organised by the Global African Swine Fever Research Alliance (GARA) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). This session focus on critical aspects of African swine fever (ASF), vaccine development, evaluation, and responsible use.

As the global scientific community continues to work toward safe and effective ASF vaccines, clear guidance and harmonised approaches to evaluation and monitoring will be essential. This webinar aims to provide an overview of WOAH’s ASF vaccine guidelines and to discuss the practical considerations for field evaluation and post-vaccination monitoring.

This session brings two leading experts, Professor Chris Oura and Georgina Limon, to present on:

• Key elements of the WOAH ASF vaccine guidelines
• Discuss essential parameters for assessing ASF vaccine safety and efficacy
• Explore practical approaches to field evaluation
• Outline recommendations for effective post-vaccination monitoring
• Highlight the importance of international coordination in supporting safe vaccine deployment

Useful documents

• WOAH Codes and Manuals
• WOAH report of the ad hoc Group meeting on ASFV vaccines: field evaluation and post-vaccination monitoring

This webinar will introduce the newly developed PROVNA Platform, a key outcome of the first phase of the PROVNA project, which focuses on using Earth Observation data to define ecoregions relevant to vector-borne disease transmission in North Africa. Building on the results presented in Lisbon in July 2024, the project is now in its second phase, aimed at establishing a risk-based surveillance system for mosquito-borne diseases across the North African sub-region.

During the session, participants will receive:

• A technical explanation of the ecoregionalisation method and its applications both with and without field data;
• An overview of PROVNA activities in North Africa;
• A presentation of the PROVNA Platform and the features of the updated application;
• Insights into how WOAH currently uses ecoregion data in the epidemic intelligence situation reports of the RVF Incident Management System in West Africa;
• A discussion on future opportunities for applying ecoregion-based tools in Africa and beyond.

By the end of the webinar, attendees will understand the PROVNA approach, its practical applications, and the potential of the platform to strengthen surveillance and control of vector-borne diseases.

PS: The PROVNA platform has been developed in phase 1, but has been constantly updated and improved also during phase 2.

Agenda

Time	Topic	Speakers
10:00am – 10:10am (CET)	Arrival of participants  Opening Remarks	B. Soumare, DDG, WOAH HQ
10:10am – 10:20am	“Ecoregionalisation” approach in VBDs	A. Conte, IZS Teramo
10:20am-10:30am	Overview of the PROVNA project	F. Valentini, WOAH SRR-NA
10:30am-10:50am	Overview of the PROVNA Platform and presentation of the new tool	A. Conte,, IZS Teramo  A. Di Lorenzo, IZS Teramo
10:50am-11:00am	Integration of ecoregion data in the epidemic intelligence situation reports – example of the WOAH RVF Incident Management System for West Africa	P. Tizzani, WOAH Data Integration Department
11:00am-11:10am	Potential future use of the ecoregions/PROVNA Platform	P. Calistri, IZS Teramo  C. Wannous, WOAH
11:10am-11:25am	Q&A with participants	–
11:25am-11:30 am	Closing remarks	R. Bouguedour, Representative, WOAH SRR-NA

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Previous events

• WOAH hosts first PROVNA 2 webinar on the use of Satellite Data
• WOAH hosts the second PROVNA2 webinar on Entomology – Use of Mosquito traps

The 3^rd Executive Annual Meeting of the Quadripartite (QEAM3) will take place on the 25 – 27 March 2025 at the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Headquarters in Paris.

The by-invitation-only meeting will include a day of high-level sessions for
decision-making and two days of technical sessions, bringing together senior leadership and technical teams from the four Quadripartite agencies—the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and WOAH—to enhance collaboration and advance the One Health agenda.

The QEAM serves as a platform to assess the progress of the previous year, define the strategic direction for the coming year, and align the Quadripartite joint work plan to ensure a harmonised One Health agenda. The meeting will focus on the Quadripartite strategic priorities for 2024-2025:  

• implementation of the One Health Joint Plan of Actions (OH JPA)   
• harnessing science and evidence   
• maintaining political engagement and advocacy   
• leveraging investment for One Health including the QPT Secretariat

The Quadripartite has reached significant milestones over the past year in each of these strategic priorities. Progress has been made in advancing the implementation of the OH JPA through regional workshops, capacity-building efforts, and international collaborations. Efforts have also focused on integrating One Health into relevant national policies, health systems, and global commitments.
Key achievements include strengthening political engagement, developing strategic and operational guidelines, and preparing for further implementation and investment in 2025. The upcoming meeting will be a valuable opportunity to take stock of these achievements, discuss challenges, and chart the way forward. 

The QEAM is also the moment to handover the Chairmanship, which rotates every year. The next Chair will be FAO for 2025-2026.  

Participation in this meeting is by invitation only. Selected participants will receive registration details by email. 

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