Alliance News

Alliance Plenary meeting 6 June 2023

On 6 June, 2023, the Alliance held its second plenary meeting.

Agenda of the meeting

Part 1: State of affairs

  • What has happened in the last year
  • What to expect in 2nd part of 2023

Part 2: Current working areas

  • Reports from the Working Groups
  • Report from the Needs & Gaps analysis

Part 3: Utilizing our network at the science-policy interface

  • Introduction of the Int’l Alliance Gov. Consultation facility
  • Explaining the mechanism and how to become part

Overview and main take aways

Part 1: State of affairs

I. The Alliance has launched a new exchange hub with a user-friendly layout:

  • The website provides information about the Alliance, its governance, and the
    Secretariat team.
  • The website includes a members’ area with a global map showcasing Alliance
    members and a forum for networking, discussions and to exchange documents.
  • The website features a news section with updates and reports from Alliance
    members, as well as an events section were upcoming Alliance and members events are presented.
  • ‘Short pitches’ allow members to briefly introduce their work or organization
    during events and propose new event formats.

II. An upcoming joint conference of the Federal Ministries BMZ and BMUV, WCS, Quadripartite and the Alliance is scheduled for 12-13 October with participation on site in Berlin and potentially online, focusing on advancing the one health agenda with an environmental focus.

Part 2: Current working areas

I. Working Groups

  • Working Group one (Science Policy Interface) mentioned international
    processes in which the Alliance will take part.
  • Working Group two (The Big Picture) introduced initial thoughts in the upcoming position paper.
    Both Working Groups are open to new members:
  • For information on how to join the working groups, please visit the members area.
  • Working Group three (Evaluation) addresses the evaluation gap in health issues
    related to wildlife trade and seeks to raise awareness about systematic evaluation.
    Request to Alliance Members from WG 3:
  • Please share any systematic evaluations of the effects (intended and unintended) impacts of health risk reduction programs with the Secretariate.
  • We seek high quality evaluations of the effectiveness, acceptability, usefulness, fairness, and/or sustainability of interventions in ways that are adapted to their political and community environments.
  • Email for evaluation: info@alliance-health-wildlife.org

II. Needs and gaps analysis

In brief, the following results were extracted from the needs & gaps analysis:
1. Inclusion of social sciences and Indigenous partnerships:

  • Incorporating social sciences and partnering with Indigenous communities
    were identified as crucial for a comprehensive approach to address zoonotic
    spillover risks and wildlife trade.

2. Availability of practical best practice examples:

  • The analysis emphasized the need for sharing practical examples applicable in
    different settings to enhance knowledge exchange and replication of
    successful interventions.

3. Members who had not yet responded to the questionnaire will be approached for
additional feedback, potentially for focus group discussions.

  • If you wish to participate in a focus group discussion, contact us here.

Part 3: Utilizing our network at the science-policy interface

I. Introduction of the Int’l Alliance Gov. Consultation facility

  • The International Alliance Government Consultation Facility seeks to provide
    support to partner country governments and ministries in addressing health risks
    associated with wildlife trade.
  • It will offer technical expertise and input to governments, helping them tackle
    specific questions and challenges related to health risks, particularly zoonotic
    risks.
  • It will promote inter-institutional contact and exchange among line ministries and supports governments in aligning their regulations with international agreements.
  • For more information, see here.

The recording and detailed documentation can be found in the members area.