1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. OIE Reference Laboratories 2007

5. OIE Collaborating Centres 2007

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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)

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

19. 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)

20. 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.?

21. World Organisation for Animal Health
12 rue de Prony
75017 Paris, France
Tel: 33 (0)
Fax: 33 (0)