Transcript FAO/OIE International Animal Health Communicators` Roundtable

SUMMARY HIGHLIGHTS
FAO/OIE INTERNATIONAL ANIMAL HEALTH
COMMUNICATORS’ ROUNDTABLE
Satyajit Sarkar
Coordinator & Team Leader,
FAO ECTAD Communication Unit
Presented on behalf of FAO and OIE
Information – Education - Communication – Public Awareness – Public Education
– Social Mobilization – Community Mobilization – Advocacy – Information Officer –
Media Officer – Communication Officer – Reporting Officer – Advocacy Officer Development Support Communication – Pandemic Communication – Animal
Health Communication – Human Health Communication – Media Relations – Donor
Relations – Corporate Relations – External Relations – Public Relations - Risk
Communication – Outbreak Communication – Behaviour Change Communication –
Development Communication – Participatory Communication – Programme
Communication – Information – Education - Communication – Public Awareness –
Public Education – Social Mobilization – Community Mobilization – Advocacy –
Information Officer – Media Officer – Communication Officer – Reporting Officer –
Advocacy Officer - Development Support Communication – Pandemic
Communication – Animal Health Communication – Human Health Communication
– Media Relations – Donor Relations – Corporate Relations – External Relations –
Public Relations - Risk Communication – Outbreak Communication – Behaviour
Change Communication – Development Communication – Participatory
Communication – Programme Communication – Information – Education Communication – Public Awareness – Public Education – Social Mobilization –
Community Mobilization – Advocacy – Information Officer – Media Officer –
Communication Officer – Reporting Officer – Advocacy Officer - Development
Support Communication – Pandemic Communication – Animal Health
Communication – Human Health Communication – Media Relations – Donor
Relations – Corporate Relations – External Relations – Public Relations
all problems are
communication problems
Strategic Communication
Involves 4 distinct but harmonized elements:
• Programmatic Communication – to inform and empower
• Advocacy – to influence policy and political agendas
• Social Mobilization – to build consensus and expand
partnerships
• Capacity Building – to strengthen and sustain the gains
Fundamental Premise
Communication can address/influence
information and perception related factors.
It cannot replace the provision of services.
By stopping Avian Influenza at source, we
will be saving lives and protecting livelihoods.
For the global HPAI prevention/control
strategy to succeed:
• Do poultry keepers/farmers, communities and frontline
workers agree with the strategy?
• Is the general public fully engaged and willing to
participate in the HPAI response?
• Is the media and civil society (NGOs) on our side and
support the strategy?
• Are all donors and national governments fully and
demonstrably committed to the strategy?
FAO/OIE Communication Roundtable
• 45 multi-disciplinary experts from 14 countries
• Epidemiologists, communicators, socio-economists,
veterinarians, programme managers
• Representatives from governments, UN and technical
agencies (FAO, OIE, UNICEF, WHO, UNSIC)
• Donor agencies (USDA, USAID, EC, WB)
• Private Sector and Academia
Purpose of the Meeting
• To analyse and define the contribution of
communication as a process in the response to the ongoing threat of HPAI, and stopping its spread at source
in poultry.
• Build consensus towards the development of a strategic
communication framework and plan in support of the
FAO/OIE Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control
of HPAI.
Key Recommendations...(A)
1. Advocate the importance of communication and need
for enhancing animal health communication as critical
elements in addressing/managing animal health issues.
2. Ensure strategic communication is integrated into the
veterinary infrastructure and policy response (at
global and national levels).
3. Establish an international network of animal health
communication experts to work with animal health
technical experts and other relevant partners.
Key Recommendations...(B)
4. Ensure consistency in messaging and accuracy in
technical information, and which is adaptable to local
contexts.
5. Develop a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary
approach to communication that engages all
stakeholders in an inclusive process.
6. Develop a comprehensive strategic communication
action plan and relevant tools to address the animal
health aspects of HPAI transmission – for the short and
longer-term.
Strategic Goals and Objectives
What should we aim for, and do we know
what it will take to get there?
And, by when?
• 4 Overarching Communication Goals
• 6 Specific Communication Objectives
• 5 Areas of Work
Strategic Communication Goals…(A)
1.
Generate a clear understanding on the part of high
level decision makers that it is by preventing and
controlling virus spread in poultry that one has the
best opportunity to prevent human infections and the
potential development of a pandemic strain.
2.
Catalyze greater societal ownership and public
participation in the global AI response, including the
wide-scale adoption of healthy/preventive behaviors,
to reduce risk of virus transmission.
Strategic Communication Goals…(B)
3.
Infuse a sense of urgency within policy domains and,
ensure full preparedness and strengthened
communication capacities of MoAs, at all levels, for
rapid roll-out of response interventions, for the short
as well as the longer-term.
4.
Mitigate poultry market shocks and negative
consumer reaction, and minimize the market
recovery time, following announcements of HPAI
outbreaks.
Specific Communication Objectives...(A)
1.
At least 80% of all Ministries of Agriculture/Livestock
approached will understand and engage in
communication strategies aimed at addressing the
major avian influenza risks in the poultry sector, and
will consult with other relevant national authorities
and integrate their efforts into one common national
strategy.
2.
At least 80% of the “at risk” population in
epidemiologically high-priority countries will be able
to correctly recall the (negative) health effects of
avian influenza, know that avian influenza is
preventable, and know the correct methods of
prevention.
Specific Communication Objectives...(B)
3.
At least 80% of those who keep backyard poultry, or
are involved in small/large-scale poultry farming and
trading, will have adopted (or, adapted as needed)
the recommended avian influenza prevention
practices to ensure bio-security.
3.
At least 80% of all relevant institutional frontline
workers and media persons (e.g. vets, para-vets,
extension workers, radio/TV/print journalists,
teachers, health workers, etc.) will have a
comprehensive knowledge of avian influenza
prevention and will actively promote the adoption of
those behaviours within their constituencies.
Specific Communication Objectives...(C)
5. Communication capacities will be built and
strengthened such that the time between fieldreporting of a suspected case/event and the roll-out of
an outbreak communication response will be 48 hours
or less.
6. At least 80% of the families or persons, whose poultry
will need to be culled as a control measure, would be
fully aware of the prevalent national policy on
compensation.
5 Areas of Work
• Technical assistance and rapid capacity-building in
communication planning for Ministries of Agriculture
• Strategic information for policy development and advocacy
• Public information and donor/media advocacy
• Partnership-building and coordination
• Strengthening capacities of animal health communicators
The Immediate and
the Non-Negotiable
• Establish a single, formal, global-level, trans-disciplinary,
Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Communication.
• Eliminate the artificial divide of Animal vs. Human Health
communication in the context of prevention/control.
• Focus and invest much more in sustainable communication
capacities for stopping the disease “at source” in poultry.
(Pandemic Communication is a different animal altogether).
• Focus more resources and research on developing effective
communication strategies, and less on messaging.
Otherwise...