Global accreditation for the twinning program between the Reference Center for Camel Diseases in Abu Dhabi and the Veterinary Laboratory in Mongolia

ABU DHABI, 28th January, 2017 (WAM) – The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) has approved a scientific twinning program between the Collaborating Reference Center for Camel Diseases of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority and the Central Veterinary Laboratory of Mongolia (SCVL).

This step comes to consolidate the UAE’s leadership as a global reference center in camel research and diseases, and this accreditation reflects the confidence of the international scientific community in the advanced technical infrastructure that Abu Dhabi possesses, and its growing role in supporting biosecurity and developing veterinary sciences regionally and globally.

The implementation of the program, which extends for three years (2025-2028), was based on an official request from the Mongolian side, with the aim of strengthening diagnostic and research capabilities and raising the efficiency of laboratory personnel in accordance with international standards approved by the organization.

The twinning program aims to qualify the central veterinary laboratory in Mongolia to become a regional reference center for camel diseases serving Mongolia and the countries of Central Asia, under the direct supervision and support of the Collaborating Reference Center in Abu Dhabi.

The program also includes transferring knowledge and enhancing diagnostic capabilities through a package of specialized technical programs supervised by experts from the Camel Disease Center, which include standard protocols for the anatomical characteristics of camels, methods of collecting clinical samples, techniques for viral isolation and bacterial culture (especially Brucella bacteria), serological tests (ELISA), classification of external parasites, production of diagnostic reagents, and management of biobanks.

At the level of laboratory governance, the program works to develop quality management systems in the Mongolian laboratory in accordance with the international standard “ISO/IEC 17025:2017”, in addition to qualifying it to obtain the accreditation “ISO/IEC 17043:2023” regarding the competency requirements for providers of proficiency testing programs (PT), enabling it to participate in the international standard tests organized by the authority, especially in the areas of diagnosis of peste des petits ruminants and brucellosis.

On the epidemiological side, the program strengthens Mongolia’s capabilities to monitor emerging and common diseases between humans and animals through the development of epidemiological surveillance protocols and their application in the field. The cooperation also includes implementing an epidemiological survey to evaluate the spread of the foot-and-mouth disease virus “FMD” and the “MERS CoV” virus in two-humped camels, which includes joint field trips to collect and analyze biological samples, classify parasites, and process data, leading to the publication of peer-reviewed scientific results.

The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority confirmed that this cooperation reflects the UAE’s commitment to supporting international efforts in the field of health and promoting scientific partnerships that contribute to reducing the spread of cross-border diseases.

She explained that transferring technical expertise from Abu Dhabi to Mongolian laboratories will create a qualitative leap in their diagnostic and research capabilities, and enhance their readiness to deal with common diseases.

The authority added that the program constitutes an essential pillar in building a sustainable scientific system that enhances Abu Dhabi’s position as an international hub in developing innovative solutions to confront future health challenges in the camel sector, noting that investing in knowledge transfer and developing research capabilities in partner countries contributes to consolidating an interconnected regional network for monitoring and response, and supports global efforts to reduce the risks of emerging diseases, in line with the UAE’s vision of enhancing biosecurity and developing scientific systems capable of predicting risks and dealing with them with high efficiency.

She explained that the program goes beyond the traditional concept of knowledge transfer to establish a vital sustainability system that supports food security in Mongolia, and contributes to protecting global public health through early detection of emerging pathogens in the camel sector. It also provides a qualitative scientific opportunity for the reference center in Abu Dhabi to conduct comparative studies between one-humped and two-humped camel breeds.

This project comes as an extension of the international successes achieved by the Collaborating Reference Center for Camel Diseases of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, most notably the detection of the Wesselsbron virus in Ethiopia for the first time in sick camels in early 2025, which was published in the journal “Emerging Infectious Diseases” of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States, which strengthens the country’s global position and leadership in the field of camel research.

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