The PATTEC Coordination Office organized a two days consultative meeting with RECs at AU-IBAR premises, Nairobi, Kenya on 19 – 20 July 2018. The regional consultative meeting brought together Heads of Animal Resources Divisions drawn from ECCAS (Dr Baschirou Moussa Demsa), IGAD (Dr Agol Kwai), EAC (Dr David Balikowa) and COMESA (Dr Yoseph S. Mamo), staff of the PATTEC Coordination Office and AU-IBAR form AUC (Dr Gift Wanda, Prof James Wabacha, Dr Baboucar Jaw, Mr Girma Urgeacha, and Ms. Rahel Getu), two T&T experts (Dr Solomon Hailemariam and Prof Ahmed Rahman) and CEO of KENTEC (Dr Pamela Olet). The meeting was opened by remarks from the A.g PATTEC Coordinator, Dr Wanda and representative of AU-IBAR, Dr Baboucar.

Group photo (left), discussion session (right)

The overall objective of the consultative meeting was to brainstorm on mechanisms for integrating T&T intervention programmes into regional development policy objectives with the view to enhance regional ownership, effective coordination and sustainability. The specific objectives include but are not limited to the following: a) To strengthen coordination for the management of T&T at regional levels; b) To enhance formulation of sound policies and strategies for the management of T&T at regional level; c) To explore sustainable regional funding mechanisms for T&T programmes; d) To undertake a stakeholder mapping to inform establishment of regional T&T networks; e) To identify mechanisms of institutionalizing and mainstreaming T&T programmes in regional development strategies and policy objectives; f) To explore ways of improving inter-country, intersectoral and multi-agency collaboration in the management of T&T.

 
At the end of the meeting, participants drafted a communique highlighting key issues discussed and agreed upon and the following recommendations to RECs, AU-PATTEC and AU-IBAR:
1. To RECs Commission
A) Noting that in the PATTEC model the regional coordination mechanism is underdeveloped, the meeting urged RECs to demonstrate leadership on T&T matters that have a regional bearing/implication including resource mobilization leveraging on existing regional funding windows.
B) Recognizing that T&T challenge is not explicitly listed as one of the priority diseases in some Livestock Strategies of RECs in spite of its well documented impacts on rural development in all RECs represented in the meeting, the meeting recommended that RECs should reflect T&T challenge as a regional priority in accordance with the Decision of the African Heads of State and Government on PATTEC.
C) Noting the need to expedite the process of putting T&T on the list of priority diseases in RECs, the meeting recommended that AU-PATTEC should be invited to all relevant platforms including regional livestock networks and livestock policy hubs meetings organized by RECs and Member States in order to present the PATTEC initiative.
D) Noting the need to enhance resource mobilization capacities at RECs level, the meeting recommended that regional project proposals should be innovatively packaged in a manner that reflects T&T as a rural development problem in particular impacting negatively on animal resources value-chain and public health, including environmental aspects in order to attract funding from all potential sources including external and national coffers.
2. To AU-IBAR and AU-PATTEC Coordination Office
A) Noting that most of the past recommendations calling for the involvement of RECs in T&T management have not been followed up, the meeting urged AU-IBAR/ISCTRC and PATTEC to compile relevant past recommendations and formally submit them to the RECs for consideration/implementation. In addition, the meeting urged the two institutions to periodically share relevant publications and data on T&T with RECs.
B) The meeting welcomed the timely decision to develop a successor PATTEC Strategic Plan (2018 – 2022) following expiry in 2017 of the current one. The meeting recommended that AU-PATTEC should involve RECs in the entire process of revising the Strategic Plan.
C) The meeting commended PATTEC for proposing a road map covering the period 2018-2022. The meeting recommended that the road map should be strengthened in the areas of resource mobilization, promoting operational and socio-economic research in T&T and strengthening partnerships.
D) The meeting recognized the slow expansion of T&T interventions to new areas within countries/territories and to new countries. The meeting urged PATTEC to strengthen advocacy and data/information sharing to expedite expansion of T&T intervention activities.
E) The meeting unanimously agreed on the need to strengthen coordination of T&T interventions at REC level using the existing structures. To operationalize this coordination arrangement, the meeting recommended that AU-PATTEC should share the original organizational structure of the PATTEC initiative reflecting the position of RECs and clarifying the links with other relevant sectors at regional level. In addition, AU-PATTEC was urged to organize joint planning sessions with RECs.
F) The meeting noted the oversight role of PATTEC by the Steering Committee. The meeting recommended that AU-PATTEC should expand membership of the SC to all six T&T affected RECs.
G) The meeting noted the existence of regional T&T project proposals that are awaiting funding. The meeting requested PATTEC to support RECs to review and update the proposals and submit for resource mobilization.