THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PREZODE SHOWS A PROMISING INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PREZODE SHOWS A PROMISING INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

PREZODE held its first General Assembly on Tuesday, October 11, 2022. The event was an opportunity to present the results of the consultations undertaken over the past eighteen months and to take stock of the actions undertaken and establish the roadmap for the next steps. 14 signatory countries already adhere to the initiative. Guinea Conakry, Madagascar, and Morocco just joined Belgium, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Dominica, France, Haiti, Mexico, Senegal, Uruguay, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. To date, the PREZODE community encompass more than 160 members from scientific, academic and associative backgrounds.

A strategic agenda focused on preventing the emergence of zoonoses, developed through a co-construction process

The strategic, scientific and operational agenda has been developed through an inclusive co-construction process. It sets up the roadmap of the initiative to improve the prevention of emerging risks. The PREZODE's scientific approach is based on the consolidation of the results of thirty regional and national workshops, which involved more than 1,800 stakeholders –local and global- from 128 countries. The transcription of the needs identified resulted in a remarkable synthesis, shaping the PREZODE strategic agenda.

Surveillance of animal health, Zimbabwe © Angela Jimu

A first common Working group WHO- PREZODE to develop indicators of risk of emergence

 Risks of emergence depend on multidimensional and multifactorial interactions: biological, socio-economic, climatic, land use, diversity of pathogens, animal husbandry, animal trade, and surveillance networks...). WHO and PREZODE have announced the creation of a joint working group to establish a frame of indicators to quantify the risk of zoonotic disease emergence. This monitoring will serve as a detailed framework for evaluating the impact of prevention strategies and making the "One Health" approach operational. 

A well-structured governance

Five bodies structure PREZODE’s governance: two decision-making bodies - the General Assembly and the Steering Committee, and three advisory bodies - a Scientific Council, a Donor Committee and an Ethics Committee. An Operational Secretariat coordinates the activities. These bodies will be set up in the first half of 2023. A call for experts for the Steering Committee and a call for expressions of interest for the Operational Secretariat are to be open shortly. The terms of reference have been approved through voting organized prior to the assembly.

-> More information of PREZODE governance Terms of reference voted during the General Assembly

-> Rear the Press Release