Breaking silos: A collaborative approach to biosecurity

In today's world, we face numerous interconnected challenges related to human, animal and environmental health, making the need for integrated biosecurity strategies more urgent than ever. Issues such as emerging infectious diseases, invasive species, biodiversity loss and bioterrorism highlight the complex interdependencies across various sectors. Tackling these multifaceted threats requires a unified, multidisciplinary approach that surpasses traditional boundaries.

To promote such collaboration, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) is organizing a comprehensive workshop titled Breaking Silos: A Collaborative Approach to Biosecurity. This event will take place before the 24th Chulalongkorn University Veterinary Conference (CUVC25), which is themed Together for Sustainability: Advancing One Health and Biosecurity.

The workshop is supported by a developed Member Nation, through a partnership with FAO RAP on a regional project aimed at strengthening animal health systems to reduce biological threats in Southeast Asia.

Workshop objectives

1. Enhance awareness: Promote a shared understanding of biosecurity threats across human, animal and environmental health systems, emphasizing the benefits of a multi-sectoral approach.
2. Strengthen capacities: Equip participants with practical knowledge and skills in risk assessment and the implementation of effective biosecurity measures across diverse settings, including laboratories, farms, wildlife centers and points of entry.
3. Inform policy: Identify strengths and gaps in national regulatory and legislative frameworks to support advocacy efforts for improved biosecurity policies and practices.

Venue details

• FAO Regional Workshop on Biosecurity, 27–28 May 2025, Amari Hotel
• CUVC2025  FAO Sessions on Biosecurity and One Health, 29–30 May 2025, CentralWorld

Provisional Agenda

FAO Regional Workshop on Biosecurity | Breaking Silos: A Collaborative Approach to Biosecurity | 27–28 May 2025
Pre-CUVC2025 FAO Workshop 

Day 1:

• Opening 
• Defining Biosecurity and the Rationale for a Cross-Sectoral Approach 
• Simulation Exercise 1: Border Control and Points of Entry
• Simulation Exercise 2: Biosecurity at Farms, Wildlife Markets, and Wildlife Centres

Day 2:

• Laboratory Risk Assessment Frameworks
• Simulation Exercise 3: Laboratory Risk Assessment and Response
• Synthetic Biology and DIY Science
• Legal and Regulatory Frameworks for Biosecurity at National and International Levels
• Closing

CUVC 2025 | Together for Sustainability: Advancing One Health and Biosecurity| 29–30 May 2025
CUVC and FAO Sessions

Day 1:

• Keynote Speech by Stuart Blacksell (Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit - MORU)
• Emergence and Re-emergence of Diseases
• FAO's Role in Strengthening Biosecurity from Field to Laboratory
• The Role of Biosecurity in International Trade

Day 2:

• Biosecurity at Points of Entry and Border Control
• Biosecurity Practices at Farms and Wildlife Centers
• Panel Discussions and Regional Case Studies on Biosecurity Implementation

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