This report describes the Second Real-Time Evaluation (RTE2) of the responses of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to the occurrence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), conducted by an independent external evaluation team. In reviewing the FAO avian influenza programmes and activities, the evaluation team has been blessed with the privileges of hindsight. The RTE2 team recognizes that some of the comments and judgements it makes are aided by experiences gained by many people as the programmes in different countries have evolved.
RTE2 has attempted to provide a forward looking approach to the evaluation, using experiences and observations of the performance of FAO’s programmes over the last few years to recommend to FAO, its members and its partners, on how to optimize FAO’s future contributions to the control of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), of other priority disease threats, and to global pandemic preparedness. The evaluation team adopted anopen consultative approach, seeking opinions and feedback from the widest possible range of stakeholders in the different countries visited.