CMS (Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals):

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or the Bonn Convention) aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range. It is an intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and concerned with the conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale. Since the Convention's entry into force, its membership has grown steadily to include 98 (as of 1 August 2006) Parties from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

CMS together with AEWA and UNEP were the driving force for establishing the Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds and the creators of this online Avian Influenza information resource. CMS with its partners organised the Seminar on Avian Influenza in Nairobi, Kenya.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.cms.int

Designated Avian Influenza Webpage: http://www.cms.int/avianflu/index.htm

AEWA (African Eurasian Waterbird Agreement):

AEWA is an independent intergovernmental treaty concluded under the aegis of CMS and specialised in the conservation of migratory waterbirds. The Agreement covers 235 species of birds ecologically dependent on wetlands for at least part of their annual cycle, covering a large geographic area across Europe, parts of Asia and Canada, the Middle East and Africa. So far its membership has grown to 57 Parties (as of 1 October 2006). The Agreement provides for coordinated and concerted actions to be taken by the Range States throughout the migration systems of the waterbirds to which it applies.

AEWA supported CMS and UNEP in establishing the Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and was one of the main organizers of the Scientific Seminar on Avian Influenza in Nairobi, Kenya. AEWA is an active member of the Scientific Task Force.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.unep-aewa.org

BirdLife International:

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. BirdLife Partners operate in over one hundred countries and territories worldwide and collaborate on regional work programmes in every continent.

With its expert knowledge of migratory birds, their habitats and migratory routes, BirdLife was amongst the first organisations to inform the world community on the spread and impacts of AI, and to stress the role of the international poultry and wild birds trades in this spread. BirdLife is particularly concerned that H5N1 may pose a significant threat to the conservation of congregatory waterfowl. BirdLife believes that greater collaboration between ornithologists, ecologists, veterinarians, virologists, industry and others is needed to tackle the threat of AI effectively.

In terms of Avian Influenza, BirdLife believes that greater collaboration between veterinarians, experts, industries and other bodies is needed to tackle the threat of avian flu effectively and therefore participates actively in the AI task force.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.birdlife.org

Designated Avian Influenza Webpage: http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/avian_flu/index.html

CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity):

The CBD was adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. This pact among the vast majority of the world's governments sets out commitments for maintaining the world's ecological underpinnings as part of sustainable development. The Convention establishes three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources.

The first ever scientific assessment of AI, wildlife and biodiversity was carried out in conjunction with the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CBD, held in Curitiba, Brazil, in March 2006. Among the outcomes of this meeting were a number of suggestions and recommendations including increased surveillance and monitoring of wild birds and mammals in affected countries with a special focus on Asia where H5N1 has become endemic.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.biodiv.org

CIC (International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation):

The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation is a politically independent advisory body internationally active on a non-profit basis. With its renowned scientific capacity, the CIC assists governments and environmental organisations in maintaining natural resources by sustainable use.

One of the CIC bodies is the Migratory Birds Commission, which participates (also on behalf of FACE) in the TF with the immediate target to encourage appropriate research and monitoring, to gather quality information on the role of wild birds in Avian Influenza epidemiology and to avoid the unjustifiable blaming of wild birds. CIC aims to prevent unjustified measures restricting or banning the sustainable use of birds and their habitats.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.cic-wildlife.org

Designated Avian Influenza Webpage: http://www.cic-wildlife.org/index.php?id=170

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation):

In line with the FAO-OIE Global Strategy for the Progressive Control of HPAI, and the growing evidence that wild birds may play a role in the spread of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus (HPAI) along with other poultry and trade related issues, FAO’s Wildlife Programme, based within the Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) Animal Health Division has been recognized as a global leader in collecting scientific information to determine the role that wild birds play in the maintenance and spread of HPAI. Established following the International Scientific Conference on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds in Rome (May 2006), the Wildlife Programme has worked closely with more than 100 individuals or organisations in an effort to understand HPAI and coordinate, facilitate, or implement the following: training of more than 300 in-country nationals from over 80 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and South America; collection of more than 12,000 wild bird samples from 16 countries for HPAI testing; deployed almost 150 transmitters to track wild bird migration, habitat use, and understand possible locations for disease transmission between domestic and wild birds; presented or participated in over 100 workshops or meetings related to wild birds and AI; and prepared 2 wild bird-AI reference manuals which have been translated into at least 10 languages.

In June 2007, the Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds acknowledged FAO for its commitment and dedication to understanding the role of wild birds in the H5N1 avian influenza story and invited FAO to co-convene and co-coordinate the Task Force with UNEP-CMS.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.fao.org

Designated Avian Influenza Webpage: http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/subjects/en/health/diseases-cards/special_avian.html

Wildlife specific: http://www.fao.org/avianflu/en/wildlife/index.html

OIE (World Organisation for Animal health):

The OIE is an international and intergovernmental organisation founded in 1924. The OIE concentrates inter alias on: collection, analysis and distribution of the latest scientific information on animal disease control; international cooperation in combating animal disease and the warranting of world trade by developing specific measures on the management of sanitary and phytosanitary problems to the risks posed by trade in animals and animal products. This applies also to Avian Influenza where OIE through its experts and its world network of Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres remain at the disposal of all Member countries requesting assistance in the definition of policies and diagnosis, control and eradication of disease in animals. As a result of the engagement by OIE as well as FAO and WHO a Global Strategy to prevent the further spread of H5N1 was developed.

OIE and FAO were the organisers of the International Scientific Conference on Avian Influenza (see above) in Rome May 2006.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.oie.int

Designated Avian Influenza Webpage: http://www.oie.int/eng/info/en_influenza.htm

Ramsar (Ramsar Convention on Wetlands):

The Convention on Wetlands, concluded in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty, which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are currently 152 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1609 wetland sites, totaling 145.8 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

During the 9th Conference of the Parties in Kampala, Uganda, November 2005, Resolution IX.23 (link) “Highly pathogenic avian influenza and its consequences for wetland and waterbird conservation and wise use” was developed and adopted focusing on issues and risks to the commitments of Parties to the conservation and wise use of wetlands, and notably those concerning migratory waterbirds.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.ramsar.org

UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme):

UNEP is the main environmental program of the United Nation and was founded in 1972; it promotes the wise use and sustainable development of the global environment. To accomplish these goals UNEP works together with a wide range of national and international partners (governments, NGO’s, the private sector etc.)

UNEP together with CMS has helped in developing early warning systems. The system is aimed at giving, especially for developing countries, improved information including maps on the migration routes of wild waterbirds. Furthermore UNEP in close cooperation with CMS and AEWA hosted the Scientific Seminar on Avian Influenza in Nairobi and financially supports several other workshops and seminars establishing a strong information platform on the disease.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.unep.org

Designated Avian Influenza Webpage: http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.aspDocumentID=475&ArticleID=5249&l=en

UN/ISDR-PPEW (Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning):

  The Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning, which started operations in 2004, will help the development of early warning and preparedness systems by advocating for better early warning systems, especially in development assistance policy and programs, collecting and disseminating information on best practices, and stimulating cooperation among early warning actors and the development of new ways to improve early warning systems.

PPEW support international action necessary to more systematically integration of technical early warning capacities into policy and practice, and improve early warning systems worldwide in order to facilitate the development of effective, people centred early warning and preparedness systems. The Platform is advocating for better early warning systems, especially in development assistance policy and programs, collecting and disseminating information on best practices, and stimulating cooperation among early warning actors and the development of new ways to advance early warning systems. PPEW strongly supports the concept of people centred early warning systems which comprises four key elements of (i) risk knowledge, (ii) monitoring and warning service, (iii) dissemination and communication, and (iv) response capability.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.unisdr.org/ppew/

Wetlands International:

WI is the only global NGO dedicated to the conservation and wise use of wetlands. It works globally (currently through 16 country offices around the world), regionally and nationally to achieve the conservation and wise use of wetlands, to benefit diversity and human well-beings. WI is an independent, not-for-profit organisation, supported by Government membership from all continents, extensive specialist networks and volunteers.

Regarding AI, Wetlands International is keen to provide access to its expertise on waterbirds and wetlands, its databases and flyway atlases to provide information on the relationship, if any, between wild populations of waterbirds and the reported patterns of disease within the farmed bird stock and to develop appropriate responses.

WI has been a driving force in establishing the Avian Influenza Task Force. It has actively promoted and supported development of resolutions passed at various conventions on the development of an appropriate analysis about the role of wild birds in the spread of this disease and to raise global attention and action. WI works with the members of this Task Force and others to promote development of an early warning system through improved surveillance in wild birds and migration studies.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.wetlands.org

Designated Avian Influenza Webpage: http://www.wetlands.org/articlemenu.aspx?id=fa641fcb-eff6-4975-921a-b66c734cd573

WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society):

The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild lands through careful science, international conservation efforts in over fifty countries of the world, education, and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks. WCS's Field Veterinary Program has been studying and monitoring the health of wild birds populations for nearly two decades and along with partner organisations has established the Global Avian Influenza Network for Surveillance for wild birds (GAINS). This Network was devised to detect the virus in wild migratory and resident bird populations, identify new strains of the virus that could be used to update vaccines and to better understand influenza viruses in wild birds, and create an open database for real-time information sharing on this and other pathogens.

As the leader of the initiative, WCS works in tandem with USAID, the CDC, Wetlands International, BirdLife International, the Percy FitzPatrick Ornithological Institute, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, and others to ensure better protection against the looming pandemic.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.wcs.org

Designated Avian Influenza Webpage: http://www.wcs.org/353624/tooltofightavianflu

WHO (World Health Organisation):

The World Health Organisation is the United Nations specialized agency for health. WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. WHO is governed by 192 Member States through the World Health Assembly. The main tasks of the World Health Assembly are to approve the WHO program and the budget for the following biennium and to decide major policy questions.

Regarding AI, the WHO is coordinating the global response to human cases of H5N1 and monitoring the corresponding threat of an influenza pandemic. The WHO provides regularly updated information on its website tracking the evolving situation and provides access to both technical guidelines and information useful for the general public. It has also prepared a global influenza preparedness plan. It updates and significantly revises the Influenza pandemic plan. This new plan addresses the possibility of a prolonged existence of an influenza virus of pandemic potential, such as the H5N1. The role of WHO and guidelines for national and regional planning was published by WHO in 1999.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.who.int

Designated Avian Influenza Webpage: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/

Zoological Society of London:

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to conservation and education. Its scientists in the laboratory and the field, animal management teams at zoos and its veterinarians contribute wide-ranging skills and experience to both practical conservation and to the scientific research that underpins this work. The charity is made up of five operating divisions:Institute of Zoology, Conservation Programmes, Fellowship Services, London Zoo, Whipsnade Wild Animal Park.

The Society has expertise in disease epidemiology both in the Institute of Zoology and in Conservation programmes. Dr Richard Kock has worked with epizootic diseases in Africa for the past 15 years including contributions to the Pan African strategy on Avian Influenza during his secondment to the African Union InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Diseases.He is now stationed in London, has the brief to monitor the AI situation for the Society and represents ZSL on the DEFRA meetings on the subject.

For more information:

Official Website: http://www.zsl.org