Virtual workshops for the development of national ASF tabletop simulation exercises for Asia

SAFOSO and FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific organized two back-to-back virtual workshops to develop a tabletop African swine fever (ASF) simulation exercise for national-level adaptation for countries in the Asia and Pacific regions. With support from the United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency and USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, the workshops were conducted in response to veterinarians in the region requesting further face-to-face training support to manage ASF in their countries.

Around 25 participants were involved in the interactive workshops, mostly from FAO regional and country offices. The participants shared their experiences from previous simulation exercises and their knowledge of the national ASF contexts to help build a storyline for national-level simulation exercise adaptation.

SAFOSO and FAO RAP will continue to work together to develop of the simulation exercise material with the support of national FAO staff for in-country roll-out when the COVID-19 pandemic situation allows.