National Committee of Biosecurity reviews completion stages of National Strategy for Bio-security

United Arab Emirates, October 8, 2015– His Excellency Doctor Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, headed this year's third meeting of the National Committee of Biosecurity organized to study the completion stages of the National Strategy for Bio-security. The meeting at the Ministry's Dubai headquarters was attended by the Committee members and representatives from the General Command of the Armed Forces, Ministry of Health, the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, the Supreme Council for National Security, National Emergency and Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, and the Ministry of Environment and Water.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the strategy's three main phases of implementation. The first phase involves developing legislations governing human health and safety as well as animal and plant protection, creating security-related biological systems, and devising biological agent response plans. The second phase pushes for electronic linkage among biosecurity stakeholders in the country, while the third and final phase focuses on capacity building. 

The meeting is in line with the efforts of the National Committee of Biosecurity to implement a nationwide biosecurity strategy, in addition to achieving the goals of UAE Vision 2021 focusing on building an integrated biosecurity measures and strengthening the state's overall security and safety.