Patrick Bastiaensen

Coming to the end of our back-to-back Regional Workshop focusing on how to adopt best practices in clinical settings, how do veterinary education establishments integrate AMR-related topics in their curriculum & how to promote behavioral change towards antimicrobial stewardship

2nd day of our Regional Workshop in Advancing @WOAH AMR Standards in Veterinary Practice French edition, learning from other learning: exchanges with colleagues on programs developed by @WHOAFRO @FAOLivestock @AfricaCDC. AMR Curriculum Assessment Tools, Virtual Learning Centers.

Another week,another workshop: the Francophone version of last weeks @WOAH AMR Standards in "Advancing WOAH AMR Standards in Veterinary Practice" kicked off this morning in Nairobi, with representatives of vet schools and vet councils from 20 Members across Africa. @FAOLivestock

Last day of our @WOAH English Regional Workshop in Nairobi, strengthening AMR/AMS/AMU teaching, training and learning approaches with focus on participants reflections, behavioral change and whether veterinary faculties are ready to respond to AMR/AMS educational needs.

Day two of our Regional Workshop on AMR Standards in Veterinary Practice [Anglophone], assessing the relevance and potential use of selected @WOAH aligned AMR/AMU/AMS tools within national or institutional contexts, also with @AfricaCDC , @WHOAFRO and @FAOLivestock tools

This morning, we launched the first of 2 back-to-back @WOAH workshops with a specific audience in Africa : vet. education establishments (VEE) and vet. statutory bodies (VSB). The purpose : enhancing the integration of WOAH's AMR and AMU Standards into the veterinary curriculum

Africa-wide @woah training w/s on the procedures for recognition of CBPP free status, or in the interim, WOAH endorsement of a national official disease control programme. 45 nat. participants in the room in Lusaka, Zambia, along with WOAH Experts as well as @au_ibar, @COMESA_HQ

@africa_woah just published an overview of @WOAH_DG's (dense) visit to Ethiopia and Kenya (16 - 20 February) : rr-africa.woah.org/en/news/woah-d…

The GF-TADs for Africa Lome Declaration (2025) on vaccines and vaccination against African Swine Fever #ASF in Africa. rr-africa.woah.org/en/news/the-gf… An important continental position on the issue by @FAOLivestock , @au_ibar, @AUPANVAC and @africa_woah.

🎯Milestone achieved! 🇸🇴Somalia reaches Stage 1 of the #FootandMouthDisease (FMD) Progressive Control Pathway, under the @FAO/@WOAH Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (#GFTADs). 🔗bit.ly/3aVzJRT

Honoured to deliver the opening remarks at the @woah_africa Workshop on vaccination and the alternatives to using antimicrobials, held in Entebbe, Uganda this week. 26 Member countries from English-speaking Africa, represented by two @woah National Focal Points each.

Great talk by Dr Pam Luka, @nvrivom and Chair of the GARA African Chapter (GAC) with 16 African member countries, at the 5th SGE for ASF in Lome, Togo @WOAH , @FAOLivestock , @AUPANVAC and @au_ibar

@au_ibar ; @FAOLivestock ; @ILRI ; @WOAH @WOAH_Africa ; @AUPANVAC

Fifth Standing Group of Experts (SGE) for African swine fever (ASF) in Africa gets underway in Togo's capital Lome with AU-IBAR, @woahglobal.bsky.social and @fao.org focusing on "vaccines and vaccination" #GF-TADs Africa

Today in Cape Town, I had the honour of addressing the (@G20org) @G20SAOfficial Agricultural Ministerial Meeting on behalf of @WOAH . My message was clear: if we neglect animal health today, we will pay a far higher price tomorrow. In food insecurity, economic instability, and the risk of future pandemics. The facts are sobering. Diseases like Avian Influenza have devastated ecosystems, caused billions in losses, and crossed into new species. Yet only less than 1% of global health funding is directed to animal health. But let’s not forget, solutions are within reach. According to the World Bank, just $2.3 billion per year could significantly strengthen veterinary services worldwide. For a fraction of the cost of a single #pandemic, we could strengthen veterinary services worldwide. We have the science, the standards, and the strategies. What we need now is political will. I call on the G20 to integrate animal health into climate, food security, and health strategies, to invest in veterinary services as the frontline of prevention, and to transform the #OneHealth approach from concept into action. At WOAH, we are ready to support governments and partners with science, standards, and solidarity. But we cannot do this alone. Let this be the moment when animal health moves from the margins to the centre of the global agenda.

Ahead of the G20 Agricultural Ministerial Meeting in Cape Town, I had the opportunity to see first-hand two very different, yet equally important dimensions of animal health in South Africa. In Hermanus, I visited an abalone farm — part of a growing aquaculture sector that holds great promise for food security, economic opportunity, and sustainable use of marine resources. Countries like South Africa are showing how innovation and investment can help unlock the potential of the “blue economy.” Farmed abalone is not only a delicacy with global demand, but also a symbol of how we can relieve pressure on overexploited wild populations and combat poaching through responsible aquaculture. Closer to Cape Town, I visited the African Horse Sickness (AHS) quarantine zone, a critical example of disease prevention and international cooperation. This zone, already recognised by the EU, enables the safe movement of horses for competition thanks to strict biosecurity and surveillance. It represents the kind of forward-looking approach that @WOAH strongly encourages: investing in disease-free zones, strengthening veterinary systems, and building the trust that underpins safe trade. Both experiences remind me that animal health is more than just protecting animals themselves, it is about protecting livelihoods, enabling fair and sustainable trade, supporting economies, and safeguarding our shared future. As we turn to the @g20org discussions, these lessons from South Africa reinforce the importance of keeping animal health at the heart of agriculture and food security.

2 years after the first workshop in Kigali, national AMR officers & @WOAH Focal Points for Aquatic Diseases from Africa, meet again in Harare, ZW to deepen their understanding of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use in aquaculture, as well as alternatives to antibiotics

Who's ready to join our Nairobi team and work accross eastern and southern Africa on the livestock-wildlife-human-ecosystems interface and emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases ? Apply for this ZOOSURSY position before 25 August : rr-africa.woah.org/en/news/open-p…

Patrice Lumumba overlooking the proceedings of the third training of @WOAH Focal Points for Veterinary Laboratories, starting today in Dakar, Senegal, for French speaking participants. Focus on biosecurity, biosafety, biological threats and managing labs in crises.