Gideon Brückner Deputy Director General The OIE concept of twinning among OIE Reference Laboratories and Candidate Laboratories OIE SEMINAR ON GOOD VETERINARY GOVERNANCE FOR VETERINARY SERVICES GABORONE, BOTSWANA, 16 – 18 JANUARY 2008

What do we mean with twinning? Creating and supporting a link that facilitates the exchange of knowledge, ideas and experience between two parties (laboratories) To increase global laboratory/diagnostic capacity and expertise Must be demand driven Must be sustainable when twinning arrangement is terminated

Reference Laboratories Collaborating Centres Twinning among OIE Reference Laboratories: OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres 2007 Reference Laboratories Collaborating Centres Number 173 24 Countries 30 14 Diseases / Topics 93 22 Experts 146

OIE Reference Laboratories 2007

OIE Collaborating Centres 2007

Number of Reference Laboratories United States of America Twinning among OIE Reference Laboratories Countries with six or more OIE Reference Laboratories Country Number of Reference Laboratories Australia 8 Canada 15 France 16 Germany 12 Italy 9 Japan 13 South Africa 6 United Kingdom 30 United States of America 25

Rationale for twinning Uneven geographical spread – mostly northern hemisphere More than 70% of the 172 OIE Members are developing/transitional countries Realisation of need for a new approach to international spread of diseases Access to scientific expertise for negotiations, certifications, justification of standard setting

Rationale for twinning Response to disease incursions only possible through good veterinary governance – PVS initiative to determine and enhance capacity to: Respond rapidly and effectively to disease challenges and risks Debate/negotiate scientific justification for standards Scientifically justify international sanitary policies Contribute to international scientific debate

Resolution No.XXI adopted during the 70th General Session in 2002: Twinning among OIE Reference Laboratories Resolution No.XXI adopted during the 70th General Session in 2002: Enter into partnerships as advanced research institutes with developing countries Share scientific knowledge and skills and provide training Provide expertise in producing improved and inexpensive vaccines especially those not requiring a cold chain. Provide technical assistance to develop surveillance structures and programmes for disease control Very little progress/advancement with implementation of Resolution

First International meeting of OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres: Florianopolis, Brazil, December 2006 The OIE is committed to promoting global animal health by assisting developing and transitional countries to acquire and apply good governance to enable compliance with the application of the guidelines, recommendations and international standards of the OIE, There is an urgent need to establish more OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres in developing and in-transition countries to strengthen the veterinary scientific communities in these countries such that they could assist in the preparation of OIE guidelines, recommendations and standards, and face new threats linked to globalisation and climatic changes, Twinning between OIE Reference Laboratories and candidate laboratories within developing and transitional countries would lead to a more even geographical distribution of expertise, and the establishment of more Reference Laboratories would render easier access to expertise for the rapid detection and diagnosis of diseases, MAY 2007: Technical Theme at OIE General Session – adoption of Resolution

Underlying concept of twinning Not short-term training workshops, etc Must be sustainable Not a replacement/substitute for generic obligations of OIE RL’s and CC’s – TOR, funding, regional obligations – as agreed by CVO of country Medium to long-term arrangement to establish diagnostic capacity for specific disease Funding targeted in line and in support of project proposal with identified outcome New potential laboratory or short-term contract when almost comply to become OIE Reference Laboratory

Principles for selecting Parent and Candidate Laboratories Must be supported by Veterinary Service Must be related to national/regional need Advisable if already have established relationship Parent laboratory must have required level of expertise for field to be covered by project and relevant to twinning project Candidate laboratory should have potential to make significant improvements in terms of capacity and expertise Location must not inhibit or negatively affect mutual cooperation Goals set must be realistic and attainable Sustainability – human and financial resources – committment of Government via CVO – can not be indefinitely donor dependant.

Role players OIE OIE Reference Laboratory (Parent laboratory) Support in coordinating project Funding – World Animal Welfare Fund and donor countries Facilitate negotiations Finalise contract and budget OIE Reference Laboratory (Parent laboratory) Driving force Expert from PL is driver/project leader Implemenation/management of budget Candidate laboratory Fully committed Agree to go all the way with partnership Not a disguise for obtaining funding

Project proposal Proposal to OIE signed and agreed by both CVO’s and Directors Details of team leader and participating experts CV’s of experts of Parent and Candidate Laboratories Project plan and timetable (3 year project) Budget proposal

Travel costs and per diem Budget allocation Exclude equipment Travel costs and per diem Laboratory reagents linked to twinning project Shipping of diagnostic specimens Training activities and workshops related to twinning project

Twinning process OIE REF. LAB APPLICANT LAB ID possible twinning: Labs CVO Reg. office AGREEMENT DISEASE/TOPIC AGREEMENT HEADS OF BOTH LABS OFFICIAL DELEGATES Disease/topic Regional needs Managing expert Budget Work plan Communication Milestones PROJECT PROPOSAL BIOLOGICAL STANDARDS COMMISSION OIE DG S & T DEPT DONOUR FUNDING EVALUATION BUDGET

Before starting and during project: Project risks Before starting and during project: Identify project risks Consider impact on project should they occur Consider likelihood of occurrence Consider mitigation actions Documented contingency plan (Disease outbreaks, change in management, CVO change, budget cuts)

Monitoring performance Stages/phases approach – reporting during intervals of progress Interim report – every 4 months Annual reports Final report Post-project review

OIE potential twinning projects – hang on – we are getting there! Several (13) proposals already received Two proposals formally signed Candidate laboratories mostly from Middle and South Asia, Russia, Africa Most favoured diseases. AI, NCD, FMD, Brucellosis Needs: RVF, Aquatic, AI (Africa, South America)

The way forward Confirmed by BSC – currently restricted to agreement between OIE Reference Laboratory/Collaborating Centre and Candidate Laboratory – prerequisite of donours Several intentions notified – only two officially signed to date Expansion of initiative? Funding Coordination with other initiatives for laboratory improvement, capacity building – Alive, UK Foresight project, UNIDO, etc.?

World Organisation for Animal Health 12 rue de Prony 75017 Paris, France Tel: 33 (0)1 44 15 18 88 Fax: 33 (0)1 42 67 09 87 Email: oie@oie.int http://www.oie.int