Avian Influenza

Global Milestones

In 2005, avian influenza (H5N1) emerged as a global concern because of its actual impact on poultry and livelihoods losses, and potential as the cause of a human influenza pandemic.  The United Nations System was mobilized and encouraged to work in support of affected countries, address the global risk and prepare for a pandemic. Following the summit meeting with ASEAN Heads of State on 13 September 2005 at New York, the UN Secretary General appointed a UN System Senior Influenza Co-ordinator responsible for multi-lateral action. 

• Development of a Global Strategy for the Progressive Control of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza by FAO, May 2005 [PDF]
• WHO global influenza preparedness plan, revised, November 2005 [PDF]
• Address by President Bush at the launch of the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza (IPAPI), United Nations General Assembly, 14 September 2005. IPAPI seeks to generate and coordinate political momentum and action for addressing the threats of avian and pandemic influenza based on a set of core principles.
• Meeting of Health Ministers in Ottawa, Canada on Global Influenza Readiness, October 24-25, 2005. A key outcome was the commitment to ensure global engagement and collaboration on this issue - among developed and developing countries as well as international organizations that deal with human health and animal health issues. Read the Ottawa Statement.
• Meeting on Avian Influenza and Human Pandemic Influenza, Geneva, Switzerland, 7-9 November 2005. Read the Summary Report. [PDF]
• Japan-WHO joint meeting on Early Response to Potential Influenza Pandemic, Tokyo, Japan, 12-13 January 2006. The meeting focused on identifying key issues and recommending priority actions necessary to develop a rapid response and containment capacity in Asia. Read the Summary Report. [PDF]
• The International Pledging Conference, Beijing, China, 17-18 January 2006. The conference mobilised pledges for affected countries and countries at risk of US$ 1.9 billion. The “Beijing Declaration” [PDF] provides the basis for an enhanced International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza.
• The Vienna Senior Officials meeting on Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza, 6-7 June, 2006 was organized by the Austrian Presidency of the European Union, in coordination with the European Commission, the USA and China. Read the Summary Report [PDF]. In addition to stocktaking of the current situation of avian influenza and human pandemic preparedness planning word-wide, the meeting included an overview on disbursement of pledges made at the Beijing conference, and a discussion on specific funding requirements and strategies. Following this, in November 2006, a Central Fund for Influenza Action (a multi-donor trust fund) was launched. It enables donors to pool their resources and rapidly provide funding for urgent unfunded and under-funded priority actions to respond to Avian Influenza and prepare for a pandemic.
• The 4th International Conference on Avian Influenza, 6-8 December 2006, held in Bamako was co-organized by the Government of the Republic of Mali, the African Union and the European Commission. Donors from 10 countries, the European Commission-European Union, the World Bank and the African Development Bank pledged nearly $500 million in grants to fight avian influenza and prepare for a human pandemic, with a particular focus on Africa. Read the Bamako Delaration [PDF].
• The International Health Regulations (2005) enters into force on 15 June 2007. This legally-binding agreement significantly contributes to international public health security by providing a new framework for the coordination of the management of events that may constitute a public health emergency of international concerns, and will improve the capacity of all countries to detect, assess, notify and respond to public health threats.
• International Technical Meeting on Avian Influenza 27-29 June 2007 Rome, Italy. UN agencies including WHO, FAO,  UNSIC, and UNICEF sought to help countries and international technical organisations share experiences about fighting avian flu in order to understand how effective (or ineffective) the strategies adopted in different countries have been, and the reasons why.
• Intergovernmental Meeting on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits, 20-23 November 2007. Attendees agreed that countries will share viruses with WHO while a detailed framework for sharing flu samples and benefits is developed. WHO has since launched the Influenza Virus Tracking System.
• New Delhi International Ministerial Conference on Avian Influenza, 4-6 December 2007, India. Donors pledged $605 million at the Conference for preventing the spread of H5N1, for efforts to halt the virus at its avian source, to strengthen surveillance and to integrate animal and human health services. The Vision and Road Map proposed by the Government of India at the meeting is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish on the UNDG website.
• Sixth Iternational Ministerial Conference on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, 24-26 October 2008, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. A Strategic Framework for Reducing Risks of Infectious Diseases at the Animal–Human–Ecosystems Interface, jointly prepared by FAO, OIE, WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank and the UN System Influenza Coordinator (UNSIC) in response the New Delhi recommendation, was presented at the Conference. The U.S. government pledged an additional $320 million to help pay for global efforts to fight avian and pandemic influenza.