Strengthening good governance: exploiting synergies between the Performance of Veterinary Services Pathway and the International Health Regulations (2005).

Abstract

The ability to minimise the harmful impact of biological threats relies on our capacity to rapidly detect unusual events, including the accidental or deliberate release of pathogenic or toxic agents, and immediately implement control measures. The development of this capacity for each country is the aim of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005), a legally binding document adopted by 196 States Parties, including all Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO). Each country's animal health sector contributes to the implementation of the IHR through surveillance, disease reporting and its response to zoonotic diseases, foodborne diseases and other events that emerge at the interface between human and animal health. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Pathway allows countries to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of their Veterinary Services and identify areas that need improvement. The OIE and WHO have conducted an in-depth analysis of the differences and synergies between the tools used by WHO to monitor the implementation of the IHR and the OIE PVS Pathway, revealing a wide range of similarities, complementarities and synergies. Taking advantage of the outcomes and outputs from the assessment and gap analysis tools used in the IHR Monitoring Framework and the OIE PVS Pathway, and exploiting the strength of these institutional frameworks, WHO and the OIE have jointly developed methods to facilitate communication between the animal health and human health sectors. This enhanced dialogue improves operational coordination and more efficiently informs policy-makers on strategic investments to strengthen their preparedness for controlling the spread of zoonotic diseases.