Programme - Tuesday 18 June

Contribution through Collaboration: Roles for Non-Governmental Actors in Messaging and Implementing the Global Health Security Agenda

This interactive workshop will help non-governmental stakeholders define their roles in promoting and supporting implementation of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) through a mix of discussions, networking, and messaging exercises. Participants from all non-governmental entities (including academic and research institutions, implementing groups, professional groups and associations, advocacy organizations, convening organizations, private enterprises, and philanthropic foundations) are encouraged to attend.

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Event-based surveillance as an early warning system

• To increase the understanding of event-based surveillance and how it can serve as an early warning systems
• To illustrate the different sources/components of event-based surveillance
• To demonstrate by country specific illustrations how event-based surveillance can be implemented

Drug-resistant Tuberculosis in the global health security era

SESSION 1 / Aim - The workshop symposium will aim to provide an overview of the global MDR-TB epidemic, the responses strategies and explore DR-TB as a health security issue.

The Sustainable Development Goals aim to end the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic by 2030. TB is the leading infectious disease killer in the world. The emergence and spread of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) is a growing global public health crisis and is the major driver of anti-microbial resistance. DR-TB has not been traditionally framed with a health security lens. TB Outbreak response paradigms (active case finding, contact tracing) are usually used in high income countries. In low resource settings, successful TB responses are often contingent on resources and functioning health systems with DR-TB adding new complexities, challenges and costs. Our panel of TB experts will present case studies, research findings and analysis; followed by question and answer.

SESSION 2 /Aim: This round table, convened by the Stop TB Partnership will assemble leaders in the regional TB response to discuss the needs, barriers and solutions to accelerate the uptake of innovation and research in the Asia-Pacific region. Delegates will include leaders from inter-governmental organisations, governments, national programs, financing institutions, implementers, research organisations, product developers and civil society. Thought leaders will present panel discussions to explore the barriers, followed by discussion and break-out groups will take a deep dive to develop solutions.

Understanding Infectious Disease Modelling

Public health and biosecurity responses to infectious disease outbreaks can be informed by disease modelling. This introductory workshop will give participants an understanding of infectious disease models and their value for public health. The workshop will cover the use of modelling to examine disease causes and to assess strategies for control in the context of a variety of infectious diseases. No prior detailed knowledge of modelling infectious diseases or epidemiology is required and only high school level mathematics is needed.

This workshop is an excellent opportunity to see a broad range of modelling techniques applied to disease transmission. The workshop aims to demonstrate how these techniques can support decision-making.

Scaling up Country Health Emergency Preparedness

Objectives

• To review the current state of global pandemic preparedness as well as to examine progress in health security planning and implementation, including stakeholder engagement in country capacity building;
• To assess emerging global health threats and readiness for natural, accidental or deliberate release of biological agents, particularly at the health and security interface;
• To draw attention to the importance of multisectoral engagement for preparedness and health security and the inclusion of non-traditional health sectors such as the security sector;
• To raise awareness of WHO guidance and tools for strengthening country capacity building for preparedness and health security at the global, regional and country level;
• To discuss and determine ways forward and new approaches for strengthening global health security, improving pandemic preparedness, and supporting countries in IHR (2005) implementation.

Expected Outcomes

• Appraisal and better understanding of global pandemic preparedness and dialogue on best practices, critical barriers and challenges;
• Strengthening understanding concerning key emerging global health threats ranging from natural, accidental to deliberate, particularly at the health and security interface;
• Promotion of country capacity building for pandemic preparedness and readiness for emerging threats;
• Strengthened understanding and awareness of WHO guidance, tools and support for multisectoral engagement for preparedness and health security at the global, regional and country level;
• Key recommendations for building and sustaining country capacities to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to public health threats.

Emerging Infectious / AMR Workshop: Diseases in a changing global environment

Diseases in a changing global environment

Overview: This side event is an opportunity for policy makers, public health and clinical researchers, veterinarians, scientists, and WHO representatives to come together and define the health security issues related to emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the Asia-Pacific region. A number of short expert presentations will be followed by interactive, facilitator-led discussions, with a specific focus on ethical and policy dimensions.

Objectives and expected outcomes:

• Advanced understanding of the issues, gaps and barriers to EID and AMR response planning, learning from Australian and regional experiences
• Interactive discussions between policy-makers, public health specialists, ethicists, clinicians and researchers
• Expansion of collaborative links between presenters and attendees and strengthening EID-related health security in the region

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Reducing Emerging Biological Risks Associated with Advances in Technology in the African Continent

This side event will include an interactive roundtable designed to determine unique features of research and biotechnology development on the African Continent, including incentives and barriers to taking new actions to reduce biological risks.

The results of this side event will inform policies, catalytic actions, and best practices for responsible, comprehensive biosecurity innovation and risk mitigation mechanisms that take into account the unique role and interests of biotechnology research and development within Africa.

Drug-resistant STI’s: A Regional Health Security Risk

As part of the Global Health Security Conference, a pre-conference workshop will focus on the risks to Australian and regional health security that are presented by drug-resistant sexually transmitted infections such as Neisseria gonorrhoea and Mycoplasma genitalium. A panel of clinicians and research experts will discuss the importation and spread of drug resistant STIs, diagnostic and surveillance tools, treatment regimens and guidelines - and the potential of new antibiotics.

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Harnessing the Power of Partnerships for Global Health Security

This workshop aims to bring together a range of diverse stakeholders (including civil society organisations, government, public sector and security, and academic institutions) to:

• discuss their respective and complementary roles in epidemic/pandemic preparedness and response, and
• consider the range of practical activities that could occur at community level to strengthen multi-stakeholder cooperation and capacity to ‘prevent, detect, and respond’ to communicable disease threats.

Nagoya Protocol and its Implications for Global Health

Moderator: Jane Halton, Chairman, CEPI

Speakers:

• Peter Bogner, President GISAID
• Michelle Rourke, Griffith University
• Vernon Lee, Government of Singapore

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It was adopted in October 2010 to provide a transparent framework to promote the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources such as viruses and bacteria.

This panel of leading experts will discuss some of the recent implications of the Nagoya Protocol and how it is having an impact on not only global responses to contemporary health threats, but also ensuring access to life saving treatments.