| dc.description.abstract | The PACE strategy provides a framework within which national programmes will be developed and linked to sub-regional and regional strategies for the surveillance and control of the major epizootic diseases. The activities of national components will vary according to the individual situations in each country but they will always be included in the Programme's four thrusts with broad common aims, namely: • Building up the institutional capacity of national animal health systems. • Encouraging national capacities for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of interventions. The PACE Programme's thrusts are common to the 32 countries and are the basis for all actions. Within and across the regional groups of countries there are common themes and national PACE programmes will address national priorities within the regional requirements identified by PACE. This first volume (Volume 1) presents the consolidated work programme and cost estimate for ten national PACE progammes, namely: Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Gabon, Ghana, Mauritania, Niger, Republique Centrafricaine, Tchad and Togo. The programmes have the following objectives: • final eradication of rinderpest in Africa • develop epidemiological surveillance systems required by those services responsible for animal disease control • ensure the better use of human resources and available technical tools • build sustainability at country level • redirect functions of public services personnel Region I comprise countries that have been free of rinderpest for over 10 years; most of them have declared provisional freedom from disease. Of the ten countries presented in this volume, the following countries are in this region. They are Mauritania and Niger, in the Sahelian sub-group, and Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Togo, in the Coastal sub-group. Region II covers the Central African countries. This region comprises, importantly, the countries of the cordon sanitaire, which aims at protecting West Africa from the possible spread of rinderpest from eastern African countries where the disease is still present. The Republique Centrafricaine and Tchad are covered in this consolidated work programme. Other countries in Central Africa were not very active during the PARC programme and their veterinary services require considerable support to develop surveillance systems and veterinary services. Gabon is one such country, whose work programme is included in this consolidated work programme. Region IQ groups the countries of Eastern Africa. In this region, most of the countries are still at immediate risk of the spread of rinderpest virus (Lineages 1 and/or 2). Eritrea, a Red Sea coastal country through which livestock transit towards markets in the Middle East, is included in this consolidated work programme. | |
