Friday, January 23, 2009

Save the date

Pandemic Preparedness Regional meeting in Addis, Ethiopia

April, 28th, 29th, and 30th 2009

Mounting concern about the inevitability of a pandemic due to influenza has lead to global support for disaster planning efforts in many less developed countries. A three days meeting in Addis, Ethiopia will provide civil society organizations in east Africa perspectives, information, and materials to help them participate in the global effort to prepare for a pandemic.

The three day meeting will begin with a table top exercise especially designed to help civil society organizations to assess the threat and their capacity to respond to a pandemic. In the second and third days, regional and global experts will offer state-of-the art tools and approaches that have been prepared for use in the region. The meetings are also an opportunity to share your experience to help others with similar challenges.

A formal invitation will follow. Organizations with staff and program in east Africa are eligible for full support to attend this meeting. The meeting will draw participants primarily from Ethiopia, Egypt, Djibouti, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, and Rawanda. Two future meetings are planned for other parts of Africa and for Asia. Staffs in US and Europe are invited and can attend these meetings free of charge.



To learn more about these meetings, recommend invitees, and to reserve a space for the meeting please contact: Gregory Pappas at InterAction, gpappas@interaction.org.

We would also very much appreciate your nominations of specific invitees. NGOs, national societies of Red Cross/Red Crescent, and government officials are welcome. Please pass this invitation on to other organizations or individuals who might find these meetings useful.

The meeting is being organized by InterAction, the largest coalition of U.S.-based international NGOs focused on the world’s poor and most vulnerable people (202-667-8227 · www.interaction.org) with the support of USAID. Please mark the date for this important and timely meeting.



Gregory Pappas, Senior Pandemic Coordinator and Technical Advisor
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Thursday, January 8, 2009

Meeting redesign

During the week of January 5, 2009 the regional meeting was redesigned with the guidence of USAID and consultation with the H2P Operations Committee members. This blog site currently has the up-to-date design document posted (below). Thanks to all for the responses and support.

The block of rooms at the Addis Hilton have been booked. A "save-the-date" email was sent Jan. 15th to a board list of potential organizations.

Meeting planners, speakers and partners will be contacted soon with more details. Please note if your organization is scheduled to present at the Addis meeting. You will need to identify speakers. Guidelines for those presention will be provided next week. Also note that planning for a meeting in south Africa are also underway and dates will probably be late May. The format for those meetings will be similar.
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Meeting design

East Africa Regional Pandemic Planning Meeting
April 2009

Day 1, Tuesday, April 28
8:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Day 2, Wednesday, April 29
8:30 – 4:45
Day 3, Thursday, April 30
8:30 – 4:45

Venue: Addis, Ethiopia
On the ground logistics:
Lewa AssociatesInternational consultant/facilitator: Rick Lent

Meeting objectives:
· Encourage pandemic planning among a broad audience of national societies and NGOs, government agencies, health professional schools, and regional organizations in northern and eastern Africa.
· Foster country level disaster planning collaboration between national societies, NGOs and government agencies.
· Share global tools, guidelines, and curricula related to pandemic preparedness.
· Create a sustainable network of communication among a diverse group of actors preparing for and likely to respond to an influenza pandemic.

Outcomes of meeting for participants:
· Country representatives have the information they need to explain and advocate for giving the necessary attention to pandemic preparedness and planning in their home countries.
· All participants have a clearer understanding the roles, challenges and strategies of a diverse group of actors preparing for and likely to respond to an influenza pandemic. This understanding will help all actors recognize how their work may benefit from or be impacted by the work of other sectors in pandemic planning and response.

Proposed invitees:
There are two categories of invites: (1) those who have information to share about H2P and pandemic preparedness (2) those who would like to learn more about H2P and pandemic preparedness. In the second category people from specific countries may represent
a) Red Cross/Crescent national societies members
b) disaster planning and response focused NGOs,
c) government officials responsible for disaster planning and response and
d) African Union national representatives.

1. NGOs (IA, US based NGOs in Africa, ICVA, European based NGOs in Africa, and African based NGOs)
2. RC/RC National Society and representatives in this zone, and IFRC leadership3. USAID (DC based), country offices, and regional officials (REDSO)
4. Global and Regional UN representatives
5. CORE and other appropriate partners
6. National government representation (African Union reps and others)
7. Selected military representatives
8. East African Schools of Public Health
9. African Union officials in identified region and units dealing with disaster and health

Proposed country list:
Ethiopia, Egypt, Djibouti, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rawanda.

Logistics design issues:
Use of internet based tools to facilitate registration and participant logistics as per InterAction Membership team (Shiv Ram). On- line registration, on- line participant travel tracking.

High Level Meeting Design
Day one – simulation to provide basic understand of pandemic and responseDay two – presentations by national societies of current state of planning and best practices (focus on countries who are furthest along and have a good story) presentation by UN agencies regarding approaches to pandemic preparednessDay three – presentations of materials, approaches and tools developed by resource people and feedback on that work

Day One
8:30
Welcome from National Society, Ethiopia and other notablesPreview of meeting focus, getting comfortable with who is in the room.“Host” introduction. Highlighting people in the room by country or resource or responsibility. Country teams meet each other at their tables.Set up: 7-9 country team tables (small flags?) with six chairs plus flip charts for each, as per MRPI
9:00 - 9:30
Overview of three daysOverview of H2P (context of the three day meetings)
9:30 – 10:00
Facts about pandemicAwareness of decision faced in H2P, weaknesses in current pandemic preparedness.Presentation - Dr. Waldman
10:00 – 1:00PM
MRPI simulation 1:00 – 2:00 lunch
2:00 – 4:30 debrief on simulation, MPRI
4:30 – 4:45
Recognize how this work ties to next two daysFinal debrief to tie outcomes of this day to work of the next two days. Preview of what’s to come.
7:00 Dinner outside hotel (group event) and cultural program

Day Two
8:30
Preview meeting task and agenda for today.Welcome back: Review/Preview

8:45 – 9:35

Presentation by IFRC:
Review of Country Plan: Design and Benefits
· Presentation (20 minutes)
· Small group discussions (15 minutes)
· Whole group Q&A (10 minutes)
Speaker:
9:35 –
10:25
Presentation by National Society:
Current status and lessons learned on Country Planning
· Presentation (20 minutes)
· Small group discussions (15 minutes)
· Whole group Q&A (15 minutes)
Presenter:
10:25 – 10:45
Break

10:45 – 11:35
Presentation by NGO:
Best practices and current status of planning.
· Presentation (20 minutes)
· Small group discussions (15 minutes)
· Whole group Q&A (15 minutes)
Presenter:
11:35 – 11:55
Panel: Reflections on this morning
Panelists:
11:55 – 12:00
Directions for lunch/remainder of day

12:00 – 1:15
Lunch

1:15 – 2:05
Presentation by WHO:
Guidelines for pandemic preparedness.
· Presentation (20 minutes)
· Small group discussions (15 minutes)
· Whole group Q&A (15 minutes)
Presenter:
2:05 – 2:55
Presentation by UN OCHA:
Materials on pandemic preparedness.
· Presentation (20 minutes)
· Small group discussions (15 minutes)
· Whole group Q&A (15 minutes)
Presenter:
2:55 – 3:25
Tea Break

3:25 – 4:15
Presentation by:
TBD.
· Presentation (20 minutes)
· Small group discussions (15 minutes)
· Whole group Q&A (15 minutes)
Presenter:
4:15 – 4:30
Panel: Reflections on Day
Panelists:
4:35
Closing and preview of tomorrow

7:00
Dinner


Day Three
8:30
Overview of day. Connection to yesterday. Introductions.
Preview of agenda and objectives and how sessions will work.

Country teams have two opportunities for small group in-depth learning and discussion about specific tools, guidelines and other materials. All sessions are offered twice. Concurrent sessions to facilitate smaller groups and more discussion
Set up: Different “stations” at tables for discussing the tools and other resources
8:45 – 9:45

Round One of concurrent sessions of presentations from resource people.
In- depth presentation (and discussion) of tools and guidelines:
1. Tool box for urban pandemic preparedness planning (Fred Hartman, MSH)
2. Urban district planning (Gil Burnham and Africa Schools of Public Health)
3. AED
4. CORE
5. Military interface
6. CDC planning tools

Session speakers:
9:45 –
10:05
Break

10:05 – 11:05
Round Two of concurrent sessions of presentations from resource people.
In- depth presentation (and discussion) of tools and guidelines:
1. Tool box for urban pandemic preparedness planning (Fred Hartman, MSH)
2. Urban district planning (Gil Burnham and Africa Schools of Public Health)
3. AED
4. CORE
5. Military interface
6. CDC planning tools

11:05 – 12:05
Round Three of concurrent sessions of presentations from resource people.
In- depth presentation (and discussion) of tools and guidelines:
1. Tool box for urban pandemic preparedness planning (Fred Hartman, MSH)
2. Urban district planning (Gil Burnham and Africa Schools of Public Health)
3. AED
4. CORE
5. Military interface
6. CDC planning tools

12:05 – 1:15
Lunch

1:15 – 1:20
Overview of afternoon

1:20 – 2:20
Country teams meet to discuss learning and prepare feed back


2:20 – 3:20
Hearing from each other: country teams and resource people
Each country team reports its conclusions and next steps. Five minutes per country team.Closing questions to everyone based on what they have heard in these reports.

3:20 – 3:50
Tea break

3:50 – 4:30
Resource Team Reports back to all participants.Resource people present synopsis/synthesis of feedback and propose next steps.

4:30
Closing