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Today’s global risk landscape is complex and ever evolving. Technological advancements, climate change, globalisation and shifting demographics are just some of the factors that are leaving people, animals and the environment they inhabit increasingly vulnerable to known and emerging risks, including infectious diseases, whether they are natural, accidental or deliberate in origin.

Information overload adds yet another layer of complexity. The current digital landscape has forever changed the way we access and consume news. Social media, prominently, allows for instant information flow. At the same time, digital technologies have fragmented media, giving online audiences a wide range of channels and outlets to source information from. Against this backdrop, the ability of individuals and institutions to tell fake news from real is continuously put to the test.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 global crisis, international agencies, governments, scientists, the media, civil society groups and concerned citizens have been taking action to understand what the major challenges were and identify important lessons from the past.

BIOSECURITY THREAT ASSESSMENT IN LATIN AMERICA: CICTE/OAS AND UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND LAUNCHED NEW RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

While the level of terrorist threats to biosecurity in Latin America remains relatively low, implementing internal measures and national biosafety and biosecurity regulations in laboratories and research centers is crucial. This is an essential step to prevent both intentional and unintentional biological accidents, mitigate risks, and prepare adequate responses in the event of an accident. Despite the experiences of the H1N1 epidemic in 2009 and the more recent COVID-19 pandemic, the region has shown vulnerability to biological threats.

The project titled "Strengthening Biosafety and Biosecurity in Latin America in line with Resolution 1540," conducted over the past years by the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism of the Organization of American States (CICTE/OAS) with the support of the European Union, aimed to lay the foundations for a stronger biosafety culture. The project also sought to create a Latin American network of expertise and strengthen biosafety and biosecurity standards and measures across the region.

In the context of the project, CICTE/OAS collaborated with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland. This collaboration resulted in the development of two free online courses in Spanish for laboratory personnel and, more recently, a series of publications showcasing the findings and results of a regional survey of potential biosecurity threats in Latin America.

This two-pronged effort included a comprehensive biosecurity threat assessment of the Central and South American region and four country-level threat assessments for Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Panama. These texts, in Spanish and English, provide a high-level assessment of the region for policy-focused individuals and those responsible for working in or managing the activities of laboratories, reviewing the current situation and assessing future challenges.

By way of background, a 2013 initial publication issued in Spanish, covered the scope and interrelationship of various biosafety and biosecurity concepts, existing international obligations to biosecurity through the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and UN Security Council Resolution 1540, the application of biosecurity across different facility types, and biosecurity risks such as proliferation, bioterrorism, agroterrorism, and bio-crime. Additionally, the publication discusses the five pillars and mechanisms of biosecurity and their application in the region.

The four countries featured in these studies have demonstrated a strong commitment to bio-risk reduction at all levels of the public and private sectors in creating safer environments. CICTE/OAS has facilitated cooperation within various funded programs, including peer review exercises and sub-regional and national workshops on biosafety and biosecurity. These reports aim to contribute to further strengthening controls and developing safer activities in handling biological agents to reduce security risks.

It is expected that these works will serve as effective tools for other countries in the region moving in a similar direction, aiding them in consolidating regulatory and control mechanisms in accordance with established international standards. CICTE/OAS expresses gratitude to the experts who participated in the project, sharing their knowledge and experiences, as well as the national authorities of all the involved countries for their trust, solid commitment, and ongoing work in strengthening compliance with international obligations.

Through these publications, CICTE/OAS reaffirms its traditional institutional support for the international disarmament and non-proliferation regime. The organization continues to express its willingness to collaborate in efforts aimed at ensuring greater regional security from multiple perspectives for all countries in the Americas.

The publications can be found and downloaded here: https://www.oas.org/ext/es/seguridad/unscr1540

One of the main focus of the EU-funded project is delivering in-person workshops. In the last six months, OAS/CICTE carried out seven face-to-face training courses for laboratory personnel and scientists from the live science fields. These workshops were designed to increase awareness of bio-risks and to strengthen knowledge on the challenges concerning biological safety and security. These courses took place, respectively, in Asuncion (Paraguay) from 17 to 21 April, Panama City (Panama) from 5 to 9 June, Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) from 17 to 21 July, Bogotá (Colombia) from 24 to 28 July, Buenos Aires (Argentina) from 7 to 11 August, Montevideo (Uruguay) from 8 to 11 August, and Santiago (Chile) from 4 to 8 September. On average, some 30 participants from public or private institutions and research centers attended each of these courses.

Training in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, July 17-21, 2023 Professionals from: 12 laboratories, 7 hospitals, 4 health government agencies and 11 academia

The next big threat to animal health emergencies: misinformation and disinformation

In a fast-changing and polarised world, the need to fight falsehoods is greater than ever. This is what relevant stakeholders can do to tackle the underlying challenges facing the animal health sector.

Misinformation is inaccurate information, usually spread without harmful intent.

Disinformation is inaccurate or misleading information, deliberately created and spread to cause harm to target governments, organisations or people.

A multi-sectoral approach in a multi-risk environment

The animal health sector is just as vulnerable to threats posed by misinformation and disinformation. In October 2022, viral online content about the spread and treatment of lumpy skin disease stirred up conspiracy theories, undermining cattle vaccination efforts and suggesting that milk is not safe to drink. The United Kingdom’s leading news source the BBC debunked the claim using facts grounded in science and the voices of experts. This is only one of the several stories that made international headlines, highlighting how the animal health sector can be severely impacted by false narratives.

Almost every animal disease outbreak from Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow), to Foot and mouth disease (FMD), African Swine Fever (ASF) and bird flu has been accompanied by misinformation and disinformation.

The evolution of a multi-hazard landscape demands a new, innovative approach to detecting and responding to misinformation and disinformation. When the spread of false information is linked to criminal or terrorist activities, for instance, it requires involvement of Law Enforcement agencies.

Ensuring global health security needs response systems should be cross-sectoral, critical, engaged and well-informed. "Malicious actors continuously engage in harmful, multi-layered disinformation campaigns that aim to disrupt, divide, damage and undermine their targets,” argues Ben Wakefield, Senior Analyst and ELBI (Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellowship) Deputy Director at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security'. “In recent years we have seen clear examples of this during the COVID-19 pandemic. The animal health sector is at risk of similar disinformation campaigns, which could have a significant impact on trade and food security and make the world less stable and a less secure place for all”.

If no action is taken, the consequences of untruthful or misleading statements can be significant, increasing the risk for animal and zoonotic diseases to quickly spread, also eroding people's trust in authorities and undermining the health responses. This means that the response of stakeholders from all sectors needs to be prompt and well-informed.

“To dismantle malicious efforts,” continues Wakefield “animal health experts, scientists, and social scientists must come together with the security community to holistically plan and execute effective strategies. Multisectoral collaboration that incorporates a diverse set of expertise is an essential part of countering disinformation and ensuring that animal health remains protected."

“It is crucial that these entities work together in a coordinated manner,” echoes Katy Carroll, expert at the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institution (UNICRI). “This is due to the fact that, much like with other criminal phenomena, malicious actors usually look to exploit any gaps or vulnerabilities in prevention and response efforts in order to achieve their objectives.”

Fighting mis- and disinformation around animal health: WOAH’s guidelines

Within the framework of a strong partnership, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) recently published a set of guidelines on the topic. The guidelines illustrate some key strategies that should be holistically planned and executed to manage disinformation and misinformation for organisations working in animal health emergencies to prepare for, detect and respond to these events.

These key actions were discussed at a recent regional training on risk and crisis communication for animal health emergencies organised by WOAH within the framework of the Fortifying Institutional Resilience Against Biological Threats (FIRABioT) project.

Today’s global risk landscape is complex and ever evolving. Technological advancements, climate change, globalisation and shifting demographics are just some of the factors that are leaving people, animals and the environment they inhabit increasingly vulnerable to known and emerging risks, including infectious diseases, whether they are natural, accidental or deliberate in origin.

Information overload adds yet another layer of complexity. The current digital landscape has forever changed the way we access and consume news. Social media, prominently, allows for instant information flow. At the same time, digital technologies have fragmented media, giving online audiences a wide range of channels and outlets to source information from. Against this backdrop, the ability of individuals and institutions to tell fake news from real is continuously put to the test.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 global crisis, international agencies, governments, scientists, the media, civil society groups and concerned citizens have been taking action to understand what the major challenges were and identify important lessons from the past.

A multi-sectoral approach in a multi-risk environment

The animal health sector is just as vulnerable to threats posed by misinformation and disinformation. In October 2022, viral online content about the spread and treatment of lumpy skin disease stirred up conspiracy theories, undermining cattle vaccination efforts and suggesting that milk is not safe to drink. The United Kingdom’s leading news source the BBC debunked the claim using facts grounded in science and the voices of experts. This is only one of the several stories that made international headlines, highlighting how the animal health sector can be severely impacted by false narratives.

Almost every animal disease outbreak from Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow), to Foot and mouth disease (FMD), African Swine Fever (ASF) and bird flu has been accompanied by misinformation and disinformation.

The evolution of a multi-hazard landscape demands a new, innovative approach to detecting and responding to misinformation and disinformation. When the spread of false information is linked to criminal or terrorist activities, for instance, it requires involvement of Law Enforcement agencies.

Ensuring global health security needs response systems should be cross-sectoral, critical, engaged and well-informed. "Malicious actors continuously engage in harmful, multi-layered disinformation campaigns that aim to disrupt, divide, damage and undermine their targets,” argues Ben Wakefield, Senior Analyst and ELBI (Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellowship) Deputy Director at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security'. “In recent years we have seen clear examples of this during the COVID-19 pandemic. The animal health sector is at risk of similar disinformation campaigns, which could have a significant impact on trade and food security and make the world less stable and a less secure place for all”.

If no action is taken, the consequences of untruthful or misleading statements can be significant, increasing the risk for animal and zoonotic diseases to quickly spread, also eroding people's trust in authorities and undermining the health responses. This means that the response of stakeholders from all sectors needs to be prompt and well-informed.

The threat of misinformation is nothing new. From propaganda being used to advance political agendas to manipulated messages influencing opinions, information has long been weaponised by groups and individuals alike. Yet, as ecosystems become increasingly interconnected, this threat has taken on new significance. Today’s media fragmentation, coupled with the interconnected nature of modern life and the rise of AI-generated content, makes it harder for consumers to distinguish truthful from biased, misleading or untrustworthy news.

According to the World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2024 , disinformation is going to be the world’s top risk during the next two years. This is why implementing the right countermeasures - from public awareness to media literacy campaigns - is more urgent than ever before. “With the evolution of technology, social media and internet connectivity that we have in the present day, disinformation campaigns spread far more rapidly and with greater consequences than in previous decades” highlights Wakefield. “As a result, it has never been more important to actively counter and condemn malicious disinformation efforts, whatever their origin.”

The development of guidelines on misinformation and disinformation in animal health by WOAH and INTERPOL was supported by Global Affairs Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program.