 Good morning, good afternoon and good evening everyone. Welcome to our highly anticipated webinar on the launch of the regional IMR guidelines, column three, addressing a crucial aspect of monitoring antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens from aquaculture. So here I'm Rindu Putri from FBO and it's an honor to be your moderator for today's event. We're excited to have you all join us as we dive into the details of these essential guidelines. And before we begin, I would like, please allow me to provide a quick overview from today's agenda. We will have opening remarks from FBO from the Singapore's National Parks Board or N-Parks and the United States Agency for International Development or USAID followed by two presentations from our experts on the guidelines. Now, without further ado, I would like to invite Kasyan Wongsata-Pornchai, regional manager of FBO Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases or FBO Actat to provide some opening remarks. Unfortunately, Dr. Kasyan is on a mission, so he couldn't really deliver the remarks live. However, not to worry, he has also prepared a pre-recorded video for us all. So therefore, I would like to call Pui to play the video, please. Thank you so much. It's a great pleasure to deliver this introductory speech alongside good friends and colleagues from the United States Agency for International Development and the Singapore's National Parks Board. I believe Dr. Diana is also here to represent the Singapore Food Agency as well. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations or FAO leads the global campaign in addressing the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance or AMR in the food and agriculture sectors. It is part of the multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary efforts to address this global health concern along with the quality part-time partners, World Health Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health and the United Nations Environment Program. For AMR mitigation, particularly in food and agriculture, FAO is guided by the FAO Action Plan on AMR, which aspires to reduce AMR prevalence and slow the emergence and spread of resistance across the food chain and for all food and agriculture sectors and to preserve the ability to treat infections with effective and safe antimicrobials to sustain food and agriculture production. To effectively achieve these noble goals, evidence-based actions will need to be designed based on high-quality data-driven information. And for this reason, both the Global Action Plan and FAO Action Plan on AMR includes strengthening of surveillance and research as one of its five core objectives. In the region, the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific has been placing substantial efforts to cascade these global aspirations down to the ground level. One piece is the development of the Regional Harmonized Guidelines. Since 2015, FAO has led the development of a series of six regional guidelines on monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial uses, and antimicrobial residuals in food and agriculture. These regional guidelines are anchored on existing international standards but also takes into account the context of the region in the development process. Given the significant role of aquaculture to livelihoods and economy in countries, it is pertinent to include monitoring and surveillance of AMR in bacterial pathogens from aquaculture. It's been such a long journey together since 2018 for the development of the Regional Guideline for monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens from aquaculture. Or we have given it a nickname as the Regional Guideline Volume 3. But despite how long it took, it was a journey in which no one could have done it quicker with the same intensity of consultations and reviews to make sure it aligns with international standards and reflect the ground reality while remaining practical. The completion of this guideline, Volume 3, would have not been possible without each and everyone's contribution. As some of you may know, this document is truly a regional product born from the collective and persistent effort, not only by FAO but also by its member countries, international experts. And I would like to acknowledge a few of them, Dr. Ron Miller and Dr. Peter Smith, as well as many international partners. Special thanks also goes to USAID for the financial and technical support throughout the process. Leading this process together with FAO is the National Park Board of Singapore and the Singapore Food Agency. Thank you very much. This regional guideline will serve as a technical document to help countries advance in AMR surveillance in bacterial pathogens from aquaculture. It also will serve as our good reminder of the power of working together towards a shared vision. Thank you everyone for all your support and contributions. Likewise, while this launching event we're joining today serves as a commemoration of our major achievements as the region, it also provides an opportunity for us all to reflect and acknowledge those who have been instrumental in the process for the past five years. Once again, on behalf of FAO, I am grateful, I am honored, and thank you very much. All right, thank you very much Pui for playing the video. Next, let's move on to our next remarks. I would like to invite Dr. Diana Shi, Director of Animal and Veterinary Program Office at Singapore's National Parks Board to provide some opening remarks. Dr. Shi, please, over to you. Sorry, I don't need myself. Thanks very much, Rindu, for the introductions. So a big thank you and a warm welcome to our DST colleagues and friends to the launch of these anti-microbial surveillance guidelines for aquaculture. I truly believe that these guidelines indeed would are a milestone, particularly for all the diagnosticians and laboratories who have been working in this field. Because for many years, there have not been harmonized guidelines for this. And actually the real heroes that we need to thank today are the team of experts we have here. Drs. Ron Miller, and Drs. Peter Smith, and Dr. Tsempi Yun, and Dr. Mary Joy Gordon-Silio who have worked together on these guidelines via various Zoom meetings and emails and different platforms across various time zones all these years. So your dedication to and your faith in this project knows no bounds. I'd like to extend my deepest thanks as well to my colleagues in the National Parks Board and the Singapore Food Agency, people who have been working behind the scenes. And of course to Jim who has been helping us keep things moving and providing a lot of support behind this team. So without much further ado, I would like to hand the time over to Benjamin from USAID to say a few words as well. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Sheep. Good afternoon. It's with my great pleasure to be here with you today representing USAID's Regional Development Mission for Asia along with Dr. Kachan and his colleagues from FAO's Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. And Dr. Diana, the Director of Animal and Veterinary Program Office at the National Parks Board of Singapore. Together with all of our other esteemed guests and participants of this webinar, antimicrobial resistance is an urgent issue that demands attention and the aquaculture industry plays a critical role in addressing it. Asia holds significant influence in the aquaculture sector both in terms of volume and value. Consequently, the use of antibiotics to treat aquatic animals is prevalent in this region, significantly contributing to the development of AMR. To confront this challenge, USAID has formed strong partnerships with FAO, the Singapore Food Agency, the National Parks Board of Singapore and all relevant stakeholders to collectively address this issue. Today's launch of the guidelines for monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and bacterial pathogens from aquaculture marks a significant milestone. This guideline will aid countries and institutions in effectively monitoring AMR and aquatic animal pathogens. By implementing these guidelines diligently, we can continuously monitor and alert for any significant changes in antibiotic-resistant patterns and identify effective drugs used to treat aquatic animals. This will ensure the safety and wellbeing of humans, animals, the industry, and the environment. Such efforts complement broader-scale initiatives to control antimicrobial resistance. Collaboration is pivotal to our battle against AMR and USAID takes pride in leading the way. Through close collaboration with our partners across sectors, we are taking significant action to mitigate the threat of AMR. We are steadfast in our commitment and resolute in establishing strong partnerships to achieve success on our journey. I extend my heartfelt appreciation once again to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Singapore Food Agency, the National Parks Board of Singapore, and every expert contributed to this guideline. I firmly believe that this resource is a valuable tool for our region and countries. And with the ongoing dedication, it has the potential to make substantial positive impact in our fight against AMR. Thank you. Back to that better team. Yes. Thank you so much, Dr. Xi and Mr. Esquith for your time and thoughtful remarks. Now as we transition to the next session, we will be presenting a video to show everyone an overview and also a background in developing this guideline. It is indeed a long process, incorporating inputs from member nations, partners and experts with a lot of milestones in between. So I would like to call Pui to also play the video. The journey began in 2018 at the first regional consultation in Bangkok, Thailand, where the commencement of the FAO Regional Guideline Volume 3, bacterial pathogens from diseased aquaculture, was created. From the insights shared during the consultation, the first draft of the guideline was crafted, outlining essential guidance for monitoring antimicrobial resistance, AMR, in bacterial pathogens from diseased aquaculture. The journey took a collaborative turn as FAO was joined by Singapore as the ASEAN-lead country on AMR in the next stages of the development. The guideline underwent revision internally, ensuring that it adhered to the highest standards of accuracy and relevance. The second regional consultation held in June 2020 provided a platform for further refinement. Valuable inputs and insights were collected from countries and international experts, shaping the guidelines into an international resource that are relevant to on-the-ground implementation. After continuous reviews, the final draft emerged. Chapter 5 was later rewritten to reflect advancements in Enpharm and improved AMR data management. This guideline, born from collective inputs in the first regional consultation, outlines essential guidance for AMR monitoring and surveillance of priority aquatic animal pathogens in the region. Recognizing the importance of aquaculture, the guideline covers methodologies, sample considerations, laboratory methods and AMR data management, offering systematic guidance from data generation to information sharing. Complementary tools, such as the regional AMR data management template and regionally customized broth micro dilution plates were also created in parallel to enhance the effectiveness of AMR monitoring. This guideline encourages a regional approach to AMR surveillance, with a vision towards a more complementary and harmonized methodologies across the region. Today marks not just the end of a journey, but the beginning of a collective effort to build evidence-based actions to safeguard aquaculture against AMR. FAO ECTAD Together with N-Parks and SFA of Singapore proudly presents the regional guideline Volume 3, bacterial pathogens from diseased aquaculture. Thank you so much, Fooie, for the video. So, before we move to the presentations, please allow me to set the ground very quick. There will be two mutual presentations led by our main authors of the guidelines. And we encourage participants to use the Q&A functions instead of the chat box, so your questions are well noted by our team. We'll do our best to answer your questions after the presentations. However, due to the limited time that we have right now, perhaps not all questions will be answered live, but there will be a follow-up communications to address your questions filled in the Q&A functions. So, yeah, keep writing if you have questions, don't hesitate to do that. And I do hope this is understandable for everyone. Now, I would like to invite two of the authors, Dr. Mary Joy Gordon-Sillow, Evo Ektat's IMR project officer, and Dr. Biyun Xing, Senior Scientist of Centre for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, National Parks Board to introduce as the newly launched IMR Guidelines, Volume 3. I also understand that you will also be presenting about the next steps and practicality in the implementing the guidelines and beyond. So, without further ado, I'll over the stage to you. Thank you, Rindu. Let me just start by sharing the mural at this stage, and also just to mention that we have here with us also the other lead author, Dr. Peter Smith in the house. So, we are happy to receive your questions because we also have Dr. Peter Smith. Dr. Peter Smith, welcome. Just to start off the ball rolling, I'll be presenting jointly with Biyun, so we will interchange throughout the presentation. Before we start zeroing in on the Guideline 3, let me just provide a brief overview of the series of guidelines which covers this Guideline Volume 3. We all understand that AMR in bacterial organisms do not recognize biological, physical, or sectoral boundaries. And so with this, this also exemplifies why AMR needs a one-health lens. But beyond the one-health lens, what we need also is sectoral accountability. And by this context, we have focused as food and agriculture what are the roles that we can contribute in the overall coordinated surveillance for AMR, which is of course a global health concern. So we broke down the parts of the elements under food and agriculture that will be relevant. And this of course has some roles on AMR monitoring and surveillance in bacteria from healthy food animals and their products, as well as for residues. These areas intend to protect public health. So the panel, antimicrobial panels, the method of isolation mainly being healthy animals that targets will be different because they're looking at conventional bacteria as target indicators. Now, on the other hand, we also need to protect animal health. And by this, we need to also monitor bacterial pathogens from both livestock and aquaculture. The intention for this is to improve ability to treat or manage diseases in animal species. And so the panel and the approach will be different, isolation will be different, targets will be different. And of course, surrounding this, we also need some context and a better understanding of the situation. So later on the country's requested to also add on antimicrobial use at the farm level and AMR at the farm animal environment. So zeroing on this, there are several areas of concern. And so focusing on monitoring surveillance of AMR, antimicrobial use and antimicrobial receipt residues in food and agriculture in Asia has been an area of work that has been very focused for the work that we do here in FAO, but of course in partnership with the others. The intention mainly is to provide evidence-based policies in food and agriculture. And of course to get there, we need science up our sleeves. We need an approach where we have an appropriate design, we generate data that are based on standard methods. We handle the data that we generate in a way that it will be correctly interpreted. We bring together the evidence before it gets translated into policy recommendations that is backed by appropriate methods in science. And we will see later how this is very relevant, especially for aquatic animals. Now, to guide the region, we understand it's complicated because there's so many information, it's really different from human health sector. What the approach has been to develop a series of guideline that refers to the six areas of work that we see here in this area for integrated surveillance. These guidelines focus on healthy animals, deceased livestock. And today we are focusing on volume three, which is the bacterial pathogens from deceased aquaculture. We also are in the process of finalizing bacteria from animal environment. And then yesterday we just launched the volume five antimicrobial use at the farm level. So this is also available. And we're working on the antimicrobial residues in food of animal origin. Now, today we will focus on monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens from aquaculture. And of course, as you have seen, this has been a long process to get to this point. And there are so many people to think for and so many organizations. But let us go through each chapter just to provide the four days of what it contains. We will not detail the contents, but just to give you an idea of what is in each chapter, you will be able to visit the link and download the file itself, the whole guideline for your review. So what's in chapter one? Chapter one basically is a consolidation of information, the current state in Asia and the Pacific, but also this reflects the collective inputs from countries on what they would like to be reflected for the guideline. Back in back a few years ago, we collected, what do they need? What are the areas that they feel like they need to like to be reflected here? So we also set the scope and objectives of regional guideline, volume three, and how this is a step towards approaching regional harmonization and standardization of approaches. Now, the key points here would be the principles of the regional guideline volume three, which is to highlight that it follows international standards. It takes into account the context in the region, the intention to harmonize methods, even if you're individually, even if individual countries are generating data and the need to focus on pathogens, not on commensal organisms, because we will discuss later why this is different. And of course, the efforts of countries to independently pursue at which stage, at which level they may be in, but also have the foresight of where the harmonization should be, the convergence for this area. So this also reflects the ultimate goal, which is to contribute to sustainable development in the region. This includes areas of work on one health, safe food, also for economics, aspects of food security and aspects of resilient overall agri-food systems. And the contribution to the sustainable development goals. So in a way, chapter one provides that overall perspective on what the contents would be for the rest of the guideline. And I now call on my colleague, Dr. Biyun Ching for the next sections. Over to you, Biyun. All right, thanks, Joy. So let's move on to chapter two on the sampling for monitoring and surveillance of AMR in bacterial pathogens from aquaculture. So this chapter basically covers how to go about designing and setting up AMR surveillance for aquaculture, especially for countries just starting out in this area. And going down to this section, 2.2 covers how to conduct a prelim assessment prior to designing AMR surveillance. And 2.3 will be on the setting of objectives for the surveillance, which is very important for subsequent determination of the sampling approaches and the testing and result interpretation methods. And the rest of the sections here will cover how to prioritize and select the target animal populations, the target bacterial pathogens, the sampling approaches, as well as the antimicrobials for testing. Yep, then for the next chapter, chapter three on sample collection, transport, and processing, this is where things start getting a little bit technical. And we have in section 3.2 some guidelines for sample collection for finfish, mollusks, and crustaceans. And in 3.3, transport and labeling of specimens, including the types of information to be collected at the point of sampling, which may be required in subsequent analysis or for filling up your AMR database or for the regional AMR template. Then sections 3.4 to 3.6 are more laboratory specific with recommended references on sample processing in 3.4 and in 3.5 in bacterial isolation and identification methods with a focus on the regional priority bacteria, virules, aromonus, and streps. And 3.6 will be on storage of isolates, which we will refer back to the volume of guidelines for. Then for chapter four, for this chapter, I'd like to spend a little bit more time on AST or antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Now, this chapter is very important as different laboratories may be using different testing methods currently. And since we are trying to move towards using standardized methods to facilitate cross-border data comparison, it would be good for everyone to check and update AST methods use. And then for section 4.2, this section covers some general guidelines on aquaculture AST, such as the standard methods to be used, QCs, and interpretive criteria, all of which, of course, refer back to the CLSI and UCAS standards. Then for section 4.3, it covers AST methods based on specific surveillance program objectives. Now, I've mentioned earlier in chapter 2 that it's important to set the surveillance objectives first as it will determine the downstream methods use. So this is where your methods may diverge. So for section 4.4, there are some guidelines on developing an antimicrobial MIC panel as well as some information on the regionally customized MIC plate, which Joy may touch on a little bit more later. Then lastly, for section 4.5, it's on result interpretation and you can find out more about clinical breakpoints and epicut-off values and what to do if there are no internationally harmonized interpretive criteria available for the bacteria that you are interested in studying. And then for chapter 5, Joy will be covering that. Thank you, Beun. For chapter 5, which costs some delay of about a year because we needed to update this in view of the developments happening also at the global level, we tried to align this with the new platform, the in-farm platform. So we tried to adapt also and the new learnings and experiences from the region that we are picking up. So although these are three subchapters, this talks a lot about how to manage the data afterwards. So first stop is the AMR data management or data recording, data storage and database management. Accompanying this guideline and you will see this in one of the pages is the data management templates because one of the common things also and across the regions that we find is the difficulty or the challenge in managing data. So alongside the development of this chapter is the development of AMR data management template that took into account the experiences, the standing experiences in the last few years in this area. This is freely downloadable. You can scan the QR code or download this link. And also this is designed to align with the global template that is now we are attempting to be made interoperable with HUNET so that whether you use that Excel template, whether you go directly to in-farm or whether you're using HUNET, these can all be in the process that is convenient for the users. Before I go there, actually there's also the second part which is on pre-analysis analysis and interpretation. What we find in the region also is that there's a need to have the step of verification and validation because what we see in the data, there are some areas that need further improvement. So this section of the chapter highlights the step-by-step process on how to look at the data, how to clean the data, how to first summarize the information before getting into analysis and interpretation. It also outlines some of the focus on how the data could be interpreted, particularly in the context and set by using some examples that are already established. And of course, finally the part on data communication because information does not need to end with just records and numbers filed somewhere in someone's file. So this particular section talks about AMR data communication about routine reporting, scientific publications and how it is a powerful tool for contributing to integrated surveillance. Now, with this summary in view, we are happy to say that this is now freely downloadable in the FAO website. We will share the link with you and I think there will be also a QR code available for this and some tweets which will be grateful if you can help also disseminate. Now, of course, it would be remiss if we miss to thank the people that have contributed to this. These are actually, because we do not have the face-to-face meeting when this was being developed, we do not have a group photo, but so we did the cartooning. So if you can see here inside within this house, you would see also some of you are part of this process. So we thank Dr. Miller who's on the opposite side of the globe, of course. So he's not able to join us today, but we have also in the house Dr. Peter Smith, Dr. David and some of you might be able to identify where you are here. So we have the international experts, experts from colleagues from different countries and also the Chulilongkorn team, USAID, ECTAD, Singapore and other experts and colleagues. So I think with this, this summarizes the overall view of the work done for this one. We will make this mural link available to you as well. So you can also post your questions directly on this website. But in order to manage time because we have limited opportunity, let us jump into the next step. So what's beyond this guideline? Because I think it's interesting that we have the guidelines but just the same, we, this will not, this will just be, sorry, this will just be a guideline that we would not be able to maximize the opportunity if we do not use. So complimentary to this guideline, we are already looking at the areas on how to use this. This mentions the AMR technical item number 13 because in the region, we also have established AMR technical advisory group. In this technical advisory group, we tackle cross-cutting issues in the region when it comes to AMR surveillance, particularly in food and agriculture. Singapore put forward this item number 13. So this is the 13th technical item that we've been trying to resolve. We cumulatively accumulate over the years. So this is on addressing gaps in AMR surveillance in bacteria from aquatic animals in the region, including epidemiological cut of value developments for aquatic bacteria because we need to tackle this as a region. So with this, I will turn over the next part to be you for problem-setting. Over to you, be you. All right, thanks, Joy. Okay, so as Joy has mentioned just now, this technical item came about to address several issues in AMR surveillance for aquatic animal health. And the first issue that we face will be the lack of internationally harmonized clinical breakpoints or CBPs for bacteria for aquatic animal health. So unlike the situation in humans or terrestrial animals where there are many CBPs available, aquatic animals live in all sorts of different salinity and temperature environments, and it is simply not practical for CBPs to be established for all bacteria species, for every single aquatic animal and for every single environmental condition that the aquatic animal exists in. Thus, there is a need for establishing epic cut-off values for ASD data interpretation. Yeah, then for the next problem, yeah, studies may be conducted with multiple surveillance objectives with people unaware that different testing methods may be required to address the different objectives, especially between public health and aquatic animal health. So in this particular case, some, the same bacterial isolate may need to be tested at two different temperatures to address both objectives. And this knowledge gap in the differences in methods can lead to inaccurate interpretations or data generated for ASD. Now for both humans and terrestrial animals, the ASD testing method is conducted at 35 degrees Celsius. So it's largely similar, just that the interpretation criteria use may be slightly different. However, for aquatic animals, both the ASD method and the interpretation criteria are different. So the testing needs to be carefully planned out to avoid using the wrong methods. All right, so we move on to the third problem. Hey, this problem concerns the usage of non-standard methods in aquaculture ASD. So for example, if a laboratory is following the standard method from CLSI-V-03 for aquatic animal ASD, but they are using human clinical breakpoints to interpret the data, this is incorrect. Or if the laboratory is using modified parameters from the standard method, it's incorrect as well as it will lead to inaccuracies in data and the results and the result interpretation. So please note that any form of modified methods cannot be used for data comparison with other laboratories and should not be reported in literature. Okay, and in addition, from a recent workshop poll, it seems several countries have been conducting surveillance on aquaculture bacteria. But we don't have enough information on the surveillance objectives of these studies and which ASD methods are being used. But considering the fact that there is a lack of interpretive criteria for aqua animal health, there is a possibility that some of these laboratories may be using non-standard methods for their studies. But with the publication of the volume three guidelines, I implore everyone to follow the standard methods and standard guidelines from here on out so that we can alleviate these problems, all right? So next up, Joy will be introducing some of FAO's initiatives to address some of these problems that I've mentioned. So Joy, please. Thank you, Bjorn. So we are not starting empty-handed with this problem issues that has been identified. So we have some ongoing initiatives relevant to aquatic AMR surveillance in the Asia-Pacific region. And of course, starting off with regional guideline volume three in particular, which now you will have your own copy for this one. So as Bjorn mentioned, it outlines the methodologies depending, of course, on the objective that you are setting for your country depending on your interests. So alongside this, of course, with the help of, we are grateful for the many help we receive from various experts around the world, from CEPAS, from France, also from Italy. There are several experts that combine forces to bring together the customized broad micro-relution plates that globally aligns seven antimicrobials. But for the free flexibility, we're given two different specific labs. Regionally customized and globally aligned broad micro-relution plates have been developed with the support also from countries such as India and Singapore to provide inputs to this. Now, I'm happy to also share, this is actually now commercially accessible. It should you wish to look at this. We can share the information, but of course, it will be up to you if you would like, but it helps standardize the approach. And also, as you know, customized, these panels will make it smoother in terms of utility, but of course, it will be up to you. What is important, this is now in the manufacturer's library and is now commercially accessible to those who would be interested. And then of course, alongside this, I mentioned that there are now, there's now the regional data management template specifically for aquaculture. I've shared the link earlier, so this is also now accessible should you wish to use this. And of course, there are also FAO reference centers for active microbial resistance and aquaculture biosecurity. In the region, we are very familiar with the FAO reference center, Chulalongkorn University, which has been focused on food AMR surveillance and to some point also livestock. For aquaculture, there's actually specific centers also that's working on this. We have the Mississippi State University, CEPAS, which is part of the consortium of the UK FAO reference center, the MD and also APHA. In addition to this, we have the Nita University in India, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences in China and also the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute in Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences. So these are some of the accessible support that can be reached, we can reach out to in case we have some concerns. So other plans in the pipeline, we are looking at having of course, all these are aspirational to organize online and physical training workshops and also we have as an operational tool, FAO assessment tool for laboratory and AMR surveillance systems, which of course aquaculture labs or aquatic animal labs can access. We also have, there are also plans for as mentioned, aqua ASC training using the guidelines. But for more specific areas of collaboration or where the AMR laboratories like some of you might have, we will have specific discussion on that. We are aware of some ongoing initiatives in the region that are relevant to AMR surveillance in aquatic animals and we would be happy to hear some of these. So we also come organized and coordinated. So we bring synergy to the work because I think it's very important as we will be highlighted later, the harmonization towards a shared end. So we will share the link with you. So you can post if you know or if you are implementing any AMR surveillance support that are accessible to countries, this space, please, this is for you. So we will keep this blank, but we will share the link so that you can also contribute. But for more specific areas, how labs can contribute to aquatic animal health in this regional effort, I turn it back to Beion. Beion, over to you. All right, thanks. So now we'll briefly talk about how individual laboratories can contribute to aquatic animal health, AMR and AST efforts. So first and foremost, we can start off by downloading a copy of the regional guideline for a new tree. I think the link is working now. I think previously there was a search in demand which inactivated the link. So it's working now based on some of the chat messages. Yep, so please download a copy of the guidelines and follow the recommendations in the guidelines. You can also request for AQUA specific atlas assessments, although we haven't really started on this yet as this is a new idea being thrown around from our previous atlas discussion. But in future we may be offering this, especially if there is a demand for it. So please do indicate your interest if you are interested. Okay, so laboratories can also join our laboratory network for AMR for aquaculture. I think the QR code will be given below later. And can also participate in workshops and trainings organized in the region as well. So laboratory should also regularly review and update their methods in the lab, not only for AST, but also for identification of species and then isolation of the bacteria species. Now for isolates used, so I can go back to the previous group. Yeah, I'm on the last one. So for isolates that are to be used for conducting AST, these isolates need to be IDed down to the species level, preferably using molecular methods. So labs are encouraged to develop and use molecular methods if possible. But so why we need to ID down to the species level is because aquatic epicartoff value start off being developed at the species level first, but right now there is still insufficient data for cutoffs to be determined at the genus level. But in future, after we have sufficient data, maybe our cutoffs will be at the genus level and we may not need to ID down to the species level, but that's sometime into the future. Yeah, next please. Okay, so labs can also contribute by conducting tests using standardized methods and the standardized plates that are available for our region. And if there are no harmonized values available for result interpretation, laboratories can establish their own in-house cutoff values, but do note that a minimum of 30 wild-type isolates per species are required for establishing in-house cutoff values. And these cutoff values cannot be shared between laboratories and can only be used in the laboratory that it was established in. But after establishing these in-house values, okay, the data that were used to establish these values can also be contributed towards international efforts for international setting internationally harmonized values for ECBs and ECOS for the bacteria. Now laboratories are also encouraged to collect isolates and keep proper records of the isolate information and share isolates as well as AST data among different laboratories and countries to advance efforts in this area. And laboratories can also actively participate in regional and international ECB or ECOS setting efforts where possible. And hopefully we can have more cutoff values to work on soon. All right, so this concludes this particular part of the presentation. So for the next part, I think that's the QR code. Yes. So if you are interested to join, be part of our regional AMR lab network for aquaculture. Please scan the QR code below and fill out the form and we will get back to you soon. Thank you, Piyun. So this QR code, as you can see, there is added value for moving together as one. And this is just to allow us to reach out to those who are interested to be part of this. At the beginning, I would say informal network for this one, because again, these are all aspirational, but maybe as we move along, we might be able to have more concrete next steps for this. But as if you are generating AMR data, it would be good to keep in touch as a one community so we can continue to also understand the needs of various laboratories and how we can support them. So if you scan this QR code and this will allow us to understand more. So with that, I think that concludes our presentation, but also would like to take the opportunity, given that Dr. Peter Smith is here, if he has also anything to add in case that there is something that you would like to share, Dr. Peter, as one of the lead authors of this guideline as well. Over to you, Dr. Peter. Yeah, I mean, the first thing I'd like to say is how much cooperation we've had from everybody in producing these documents. And every effort I think has gone into trying to make them easy to use and comprehensible. But there are always problems interpreting written documents. And I would stress that I and I'm certain Ron Miller would be available at all times to anybody who wants to get some clarification or to explore a dimension that we haven't covered in these reports. And I would be only too happy to respond to the rest of my ability. But I would urge the use of standard methods. The literature of antimicrobial resistance is full of work done by different methods and is impossible for us to understand. So I welcome very much the production in this document but recognize that there's a lot of work to do. Thank you. Yes, thank you, Dr. Peter. And indeed, this is why, please, if you're generating AMR data, if your laboratory is generating AMR data, please make sure to join us in this continuing effort to harmonize the methods because this will be crucial. And there may be questions. And I think we are fortunate that we have strong interest and support from experts to guide us through this process. Dr. Ron Miller also sends his confirmation that he is more than happy to support if there are any questions. So I think for those who would sign up, we will have subsequent discussions on the issues that may arise as you go through the document. So this will be a welcome invitation. And I think we're happy that we are supported by experts. So I guess with that, I turn over now back to Rindu for this session. Okay, thank you. All right. Thank you very much, Dr. Joy, Dr. Biugan as well as Dr. Peter Smith for the sessions for your insightful presentations. It's interesting to learn that this guideline with health addressing original issues on AMR in aquaculture, like for example, to support harmonizing critical breakpoints, minimizing knowledge gap and ensuring accurate interpretations through standardized methods. We actually still have five minutes, Dr. Joy, in case anyone has questions. Let me run through again. Most of the questions I saw is asking about the link, which is already shared. Yeah, okay. Not a question. If there will be a certificate I would answer we don't prepare any certificate for the webinar, but unless Dr. Joy has other inputs, please. Okay. Well, you can just send us if you need confirmation. We can just attest of your participation if needed. So I think we can do that. Right, thank you so much, Dr. Joy. Oh, I saw one other person raising hands. Put two cry Galantiswara. Do you want to speak quick because we still have five minutes? Maybe that was very long to talk. And anyhow, since we still have time, Rindu, I think it would be a good opportunity to... Oh, sorry, there's one question. How can we... I see here from Kefir Kutshana, how can we be part of the collaboration in this study from Uganda? Currently, well, you can scan the, as mentioned, you can scan and access the form, but currently we are initially focusing on the Asia-Pacific region, but of course we can figure out and see how this can be made more broadly because there are specific target pathogens in tropical countries. So I think this is why there's a specific for this, but I guess for the discussion, it will be cross-cutting anyhow, and we'll see how we can work on this. Maybe we can also take the opportunity, Rindu, since we have like three minutes to acknowledge. Of course, there are some people in the room that have been part of this work. FAO, the NFI colleagues in headquarters are here, so we are grateful for their support. I'm sure some of you have been part of the consultation process. And I think this is going to be a continuing work in progress. We will find for sure some areas to improve and then consider this as a document that we will continue to update in light of the feedback from countries in the region. So I guess that's why it would be good to continue to be in touch and continue to have these conversations on how we can improve the process. It doesn't stop here. Rather, I think this is where we all start and then the effort to harmonize the work will bring more, I think added value as a region. So instead of just generating data for the country, it brings together an even global contribution because there are so many gaps for aquaculture, AMR surveillance, particularly for epidemiologic cut-off values, for example. So collectively, your work can contribute to the global work. So I suppose that that would be an important part of this. Bjorn, would you like to add anything before we turn to the next part? Yeah, I'd just like to acknowledge some of the colleagues from NPACS and SFA who are not named as contributors in under the author list. But without them, this particular guideline wouldn't have been possible. Some of them have already left the organization because this particular guideline took quite a while to publish. So but some of them have moved over to become our stakeholders and they are also invited to this webinar as well. So if you are out there, you have my thanks for contributing. No matter how small or how big your contributions are, it matters towards this final product of the guideline. So thank you very much for this. Okay, thank you very much, Dr. Jo and Dr. Bjorn. So yeah, as both of you already mentioned, for everyone, the mural and survey monkey will be shared with all participants after the webinar. And we will keep the mural open for a week. So if you have any questions or if you want to put your inputs, feel free to do so. You have one week to do it. And before we close the launch webinar, I would like to invite Scott Newman, FAO Senior Animal Productions and Health Officer to deliver his closing remarks. So please, Dr. Scott, over to you. Okay, thank you very much, Rindo. And thanks for the introduction. It's really a great honor to make these closing remarks at this important launching of the Regional Guideline 3, Monitoring and Surveillance of AMR in Bacterial Pathogens from Aquaculture. Earlier today, earlier in this session, we heard how this guideline came to be, the long road that it's traveled from inception to the publication. And we were also given a brief preview of each chapter of the guideline, which helps in formulating AMR surveillance plans, especially for the aquatic animal pathogens. Beyond the guideline, the team also shared various reinforcement tools and mechanisms to support AMR surveillance for aquatic animal pathogens. And finally, beyond the guideline and tools, our colleagues also shared the longer-term vision on how we can, as a region, move forward and make the most out of the available resources we have at hand. The ball is now in our court to be part of the momentum here in this region. For countries, this means exploring how to apply these materials and mechanisms that have been developed, and advancing and sustaining your own AMR surveillance programs in aquatic animal pathogens. This includes collaborating with others, doing the same thing in other regions, and also learning how we can have a more meaningful and synergistic work on this theme across Asia and the Pacific. For donors to support the planned work of the region on this theme, many, if not all, of the forward initiatives mentioned at this point are still aspirational and will require some resourcing to be able to set them in motion. For my colleagues at FAO, I want to ask you to continue to support our countries, member countries, as well as our partners and other stakeholders on this AMR journey towards enhancing and monitoring and surveilling the AMR and bacterial pathogens from aquaculture. And finally, for all the other stakeholders who are part of this process and momentum, who in some way or another have critical roles in making this all happen, I encourage you all to work together, work with us, work with each other, and be reminded of the significant global public good to which we're all contributing. FAO's regional office for Asia and the Pacific is very happy to be a catalyst and support the partnership in this journey. As you know, Asia and the Pacific as a region is growing rapidly in both population and wealth, creating continued increase and demand for aquaculture and livestock products. While we acknowledge the need to increase production to meet the growing demand, it's important to keep in mind that we need to produce food in a safe, ethical, and sustainable manner, this being aligned with the broader context of better production for FAO, and also aligned with the Agri-Food Systems Transformation, our FAO Regional Program Initiative. This is an additional angle through which these guidelines serve great value to safeguard aquaculture and other animals, including people, from potential emerging resistant pathogens. Finally, please allow me to thank you again for joining us in making this a significant milestone for the region today, especially for our aquaculture colleagues. Let me reiterate again how grateful we are to all the technical, financial, and operational support received to help us successfully launch the guideline, and please refer to the preface forward acknowledgments and annexes one and two, which list all of the people in partner, a very large list who've participated and supported the regional consultations to enable today's guideline to be launched. The completion of the guideline is certainly not an ending, but hopefully just a milestone and a landmark and the beginning for those to take action and implement this in our respective countries and production systems. Thank you again and congrats, congratulations to everyone. Have a great day. Thank you so much, Dr. Scott, for your closing remarks. Indeed, the ball is in our hands to utilize the guidelines to advance and harmonize our monitoring in aquafulture in the regions. So thank you so much again for your meaningful speech to close the webinar. And as we conclude today's webinar, please, I would like to ask Sangharsha to share the screen, quick one, so we can share the link and also barcode of the guidelines. Sangharsha, are you there? Oh yeah, this one. So everyone, I hope everyone can see this. Sangharsha, you're not opening the presentations. Instead, this is a folder that we can see right now. Okay, perfect. So yeah, you can find the guidelines through the link and barcode provided here. I hope this is working this time. And then if you have additional questions or further clarifications or any other initiative, please feel free to reach out to us via the email address, evaero-rap, anti-movemental-resistance at evaero.org. And in 30 minutes, we will also post a tweet on our social media at evaero-asia-pacific. So if you have a Twitter account, please kindly amplify the post by retweeting and resharing the tweet. We will share the guidelines and then a bit summary of this webinar as well. Again, thank you everyone for your participation. We appreciate your time and look forward for your continued involvement. And wish you a wonderful morning, wonderful afternoon and wonderful evening. Thank you.