Azerbaijan, Baku /corr Trend S.Agayeva / A Symposium On Crisis Communication And Media Relations During A National Health Emergency begins in Baku on 27 February as the threat of bird flu once again threatens Europe and Central Asia.
UNICEF reported that Government officials from the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Emergencies, Education, Ecology, Youth and Sports, Cabinet of Ministers and their press officers will be attending the Symposium. Journalists will be invited to take part in the discussions in its final day.
The seminars will cover both internal and external crisis communication flows and communication chains of command within the Government and within the country. They will draw on lessons learnt from the BSE (mad cow) and Foot and Mouth crises in the UK and the current bird flu outbreak, amongst others.
UNICEF will be urging governments to test their communication machine when undertaking broader nationwide simulation exercises for pandemic influenza.
The Symposium is organized by UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) in collaboration with World Bank, WHO (World Health Organization) and with financial support of the Government of Japan.