Strengthening disaster response for animals in the Middle East and North Africa

This November, the first specialised workshop assessing the impacts of disasters on animals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region took place in Amman, Jordan. The workshop, launched in cooperation between IFAW and the Princess Alia Foundation, brought together representatives from the governments and civil society of Sudan, Libya, Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan. This two-day, in-person workshop was the keystone event in a multi-faceted programme designed to establish a network of regional awareness and cooperation for preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters—with an emphasis on animals. 

The workshop engaged participants in a comprehensive discussion, together with representatives of IFAW’s team, about the unique challenges faced by governmental and non-governmental organisations when managing animals throughout the disaster cycle. The goal was to examine their current state of readiness and explore approaches to animals in disasters, emphasising the importance of integrating animals into broader emergency management plans.  

Assessing needs and concerns 

Through an online portion of the workshop, we helped identify some key areas of concern for disaster response in the region, including: 

• how to help develop animal disaster plans amidst so many competing priorities and limited resources 
• generating public awareness on the importance of animal rescue 
• developing emergency management systems at local, national, and regional levels 

The online course also introduced participants to the challenges and best practices for effective disaster response planning for animals, including an overview of the different types of assessments that can be undertaken before, during, and after disasters, and guidance for selecting, planning, and prioritising response interventions. 

Promoting readiness to foster resilience 

Our primary goal in having this workshop is to raise awareness, through being together in person, building upon the online courses, which set up a great foundation for everyone. The in-person part of the workshop gave us the time to be together and to have candid conversations about the state of readiness in these countries, in a forum where it is safe for everyone to be able to say, ‘these are the things we are experiencing now’, or to ask their neighbours, ‘how are you addressing water scarcity in your region’, and having these conversations as a region. I co-led this workshop in conjunction with Dr. Akram Eissa Darwich, Director of IFAW’s Regional Office for MENA, and Dr. Nabegh Ghazal Asswad and Osama Al Nouri, both Programme Managers in IFAW’s MENA office. 

We introduced the One Health concept, reinforcing the links between people, animals, and the environment in disaster management. We discussed disaster trends in the MENA region, giving everyone the opportunity to share their own experiences. We also provided a forum for participants to discuss how they can use the newfound knowledge and skills from the online training to better include animals in disaster planning. 

Supporting the development of an animal rescue network in the MENA region will help IFAW and our partners better understand how to help foster resilience for people and animals in countries that have an evolving threat landscape and are more susceptible to various types of disasters, including conflict, floods, and earthquakes. 

In 2023, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Türkiye and Syria, levelling towns and killing thousands. IFAW provided grants and emergency support to local animal rescue organisations in the region. More recently, IFAW has also provided grants and support to local animal rescue organisations on the ground in Syria and Lebanon to help animals and people impacted by conflict. This workshop will further support these organisations by helping the countries in this region to assess vulnerabilities, mitigate risks, and be better prepared to respond to future disasters. 

Next steps 

Thanks to the engaged participation of those in attendance, we worked towards enabling the delegates to develop their own plans for assessing disaster threats and the needs of animals in their respective countries. 

Compounding disasters, between conflict and climate change, are growing in frequency and magnitude around the world, especially in the MENA region, and we are not getting a chance to stop and address the fact that so many of these communities—that we know need our help, and we can help—haven’t recovered from the last disaster. 

Our programme focuses not on the negative impact of disasters, but on the positivity of building resilience and being better prepared for what may come your way. Regardless of boundaries, we are going to try to help lower vulnerabilities. 

Participants in this workshop had essential comprehensive, frank, and explicit discussions on the challenges faced by government agencies and NGOs when dealing with animals during disaster preparedness and response, and they learned the skills needed to prepare national profiles that assess the impacts of disasters on animals in their region. 

The ultimate outcome of this programme is establishing a strong, cohesive network in the region for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Our goal is to empower these disaster response professionals, who are already veterans in their field, to save even more lives.