Lao PDR stepping up prevention of zoonotic diseases linked to wildlife crime

7 July 2022, Vientiane - Transmission of disease from animals to humans is a risk wherever they come into contact with one another. That risk is significantly greater when wildlife is traded illegally and thus unregulated. To better guard against future public health crises that could emerge due to illegalities along the wildlife supply chain, a variety of experts recently gathered in Lao PDR to discuss more rigorous biosafety regulations of facilities handling wildlife in the country.

“We need more clear, tangible and practical actions to address the problem as the evidence of increased emergence of zoonotic diseases is becoming a reality,” explains Somvang Phimmavong, Deputy Director-General of the Lao PDR Department of Forestry.

The first workshop of the Safety across Asia for the Global Environment (SAFE) project in Lao PDR brought together experts from government departments, law enforcement agencies and international organizations to better target policing and regulations related to biosafety of farms, zoos, markets, and restaurants. Funded by the European Union and implemented by the Environment Team of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to support the prevention of zoonotic diseases linked to wildlife trafficking by reducing the risk factors for transmission, the SAFE project is working in several countries of the greater Mekong subregion, including Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Participants discuss the field surveys in Lao PDR

“The EU decided to invest in this programme due to the importance that we attach to working on the prevention of future pandemics while focusing also on the reduction of illegal wildlife trade globally,” said Cecile Leroy, Programme Manager at the Delegation of the European Union to Lao PDR, who opened the inaugural Lao PDR workshop. “No country and no region in the world can be sufficiently prepared to handle such a large-scale public health emergency on its own. Hence the need to learn from each other and to exchange best practices on how to prevent the possible future outbreaks that can bring the lives of millions of citizens to a standstill.”

In Lao PDR, the SAFE project is looking to establish a risk assessment framework for facilities and establishments that come into contact with wildlife. The experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Security, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Wildlife Conservation Society identified 40 facilities in which a working group will test the risk assessment field surveys over the next few months.

<p>Celebration of the National Aquatic and Wildlife Day of Lao PDR in Hai village on 13 July 2022, supported by the European Union and UNODC © EU Delegation to Laos</p>

Celebration of the National Aquatic and Wildlife Day of Lao PDR in Hai village on 13 July 2022, supported by the European Union and UNODC © EU Delegation to Laos

The facility visits will prompt reviews of mitigation measures to refine what support should be extended to the national authorities to help prevent illegal activities that can lead to new pandemics. The participants to this workshop will meet again in early 2023 to discuss the findings of the visits, and a review of national legislation and policies will be conducted in co-operation with national experts.

Within the SAFE project, UNODC is working with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to create a more united front on addressing illegal wildlife trade and public health safety.

Click here to learn more about UNODC's Regional Programme for Southeast Asia.

Click here to learn more about UNODC’s Global Programme on Crimes that Affect the Environment