Evaluation of the Emergency Prevention System (EMPRES) Programme in Food Chain Crises

The Emergency Prevention System (EMPRES) for transboundary animal and plant pests and diseases and food safety threats (also collectively defined as food chain crises) programme is a significant and unique area of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO’s) work which has never undergone a full evaluation. While components and specific programmes in desert locust and animal health management were evaluated in the past, the entirety of FAO’s work in this area (inclusive of plants, fish, forests and food safety) was never analysed or reviewed as a continuum.

The evaluation aimed to collect and assess evidence in the following areas:
• The relevance of transboundary animal and plant pests and diseases and food safety threats and how this has evolved over time; and how FAO is positioned from a strategic perspective within this area of work.
• What results have been achieved in this area of work over the years under review, and to what extent has FAO contributed to these?
• What were the enabling and limiting factors that determined FAO’s delivery capacity in this area of work?