Report - Middle East - OIE

Session – 4 Communication capacity of the Veterinary Services in the Region
The case of Qatar
Mr Ahmed Abdulrahman, Communication Advisor, Ministry of Environment, Qatar
Communication is the key to success. It is a two-way process of transferring information
from one entity to another and is commonly defined as" the imparting or interchange of
thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs "
The Epidemiology and Communication Unit from the Animal Department Resources of the
Ministry of Environment is in charge of all the communication activities and programmes for
the VS of Qatar, both at internal and external levels.
During the evaluation of the veterinary services (VS) of Qatar using OIE-PVS methodology
carried out in November 2008, an assessment of communication activities of the VS of Qatar
was made.
The objective of the VS of Qatar in terms of communication and according to the
recommendations of the OIE PVS evaluation are to achieve effective communication, with a
specific focus on TADs, zoonotics and diseases of economical importance that are prevailing
in the Middle East region.
The recent HPAI crisis gave the opportunity to the VS to improve its communication strategy
particularly by using several types of media (TV, radio, press) and publishing many
documents (leaflets, booklets…) in order to enhance public awareness on this issue.
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OIE Regional Seminar on Communication for Veterinary Services – Muscat, Oman, 20-22 April 2010 21/45