Professor Dirk Pfeiffer (Chair Professor of One Health) attended the Inception Workshop for the Regional Technical Cooperation Programme on African Swine Fever Emergency Preparedness and Response in East and Southeast Asia. The meeting was held by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and Pacific (FAORAP) in August in Bangkok, Thailand.

It aimed at facilitating the sharing of information and experiences, the identification of African Swine Fever (ASF) control measure activities currently employed by the countries and of gaps in capacities, and the discussion and formulation of a coordinated work plan to support countries in managing ASF in East and Southeast Asia.

Approximately 50 participants attended the workshop, including representatives from 13 Asian countries, the ASEAN Working Group on Livestock, FAO, and invited experts and private sector representatives. Prof. Pfeiffer was one of the invited experts and he led the discussions in relation to the importance of risk assessment for the development of effective African swine fever control and prevention policies.