GARC and FAO strengthen collaboration

GARC and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations have long been allies in the fight against rabies. The FAO is a member of GARC’s Partners for Rabies Prevention network and has collaborated with GARC on a number of key rabies prevention initiatives, including World Rabies Day, the Canine Rabies Blueprint, and most recently, the Stepwise Approach towards Rabies Elimination (SARE).

This long-standing collaboration was formalised in October with a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations, signed in the regional FAO office in South Africa. The two organisations will work together to encourage the development and implementation of national and regional rabies control and elimination strategies, through regional networks such as PARACON in Africa, and training to help countries progress towards rabies elimination.  

Other activities include promotion of the Rabies Educator Certificate to increase community awareness, involvement in World Rabies Day and other communications campaigns, and collaboration on health economic analyses to help governments understand the costs and benefits of rabies elimination.

Rabies elimination needs a One Health approach, with stakeholders from the human and animal sector. The MoU between GARC and the FAO validates and ensures a continued focus on this approach to end deaths from canine rabies.