UAE: ADAFSA launches 'Jahaziya' early-warning platform

Oct 19, 2023

Abu Dhabi [UAE], October 19 (ANI/WAM): The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has introduced the "Jahaziya" platform, focusing on risk and crisis management, as well as early warning systems for health risks concerning humans, animals, and plants within the framework of One Health.
The platform aims to create a comprehensive setting that aids in risk management, ensuring business continuity, crisis and emergency management, and global communications. This is achieved by integrating and connecting with both internal systems and external applications used by ADAFSA. This integration extends to collaborating with local, regional, and international strategic partners. The platform also automates response plans for significant risks at both the Emirate and country levels, catering to the demands of emergencies, crises, and daily events, including exercises, to uphold business continuity.
"Jahaziya" embodies a framework for predicting forthcoming risks. It encompasses an integrated platform designed for early detection and proactive foresight, addressing incidents related to food safety, animal epidemics, common diseases, agricultural pests, disease vectors, and chemical contaminants promptly upon their occurrence globally. Additionally, it caters to risk management, business continuity, occupational health and safety standards, a rapid alert system, and an alternative national service management system.
Saeed Al Bahri Al Ameri, Director-General of ADAFSA, highlighted that the "Jahaziya" system promptly analyses worldwide data and international alerts regarding health risks. It categorises these risks, pinpointing the most critical areas and formulating proactive strategies that guarantee adaptability and seamless handling of diverse challenges tied to ADAFSA's operations. These challenges encompass outbreaks and illnesses impacting humans, animals, and plants, as well as logistical or climatic disturbances affecting food supply chains.
He emphasised the importance of the "Jahaziya" platform, which is designed to fully serve the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and enhance the Authority's ability to deal with epidemics, crises and emergencies in the fields of agriculture and food and ensure business continuity, in a way that preserves the Emirate's prestigious position as one of the safest and most stable cities in the world.
He said that the "Jahaziya" system is one of the initiatives aimed at achieving the vision of the Abu Dhabi Government, and enhancing the efforts of the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority to make the Emirate of Abu Dhabi a leading model in emergency, crisis and disaster management. He praised the great support that ADAFSA enjoys from His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority.
He explained that the evolving nature of the world necessitates preparedness, proactive consideration, and advanced planning to confront emergencies, crises, and disasters. Consequently, we place a significant emphasis on preparedness to bolster our response to crises and emergencies, enabling us to be proactive and swiftly implement preventative measures, ensuring a seamless and efficient response to various scenarios.
Al Ameri also highlighted that ADAFSA, is dedicated to delivering top-notch services through the maintenance of operational adaptability, leveraging technology, and enhancing skills and human resources. Additionally, the Authority focuses on implementing business continuity initiatives and programmes, disseminating awareness about them to employees, customers, suppliers, and stakeholders across diverse situations and conditions. He underscored that business continuity entails the capability to sustain service provision and fulfil our societal responsibilities under regular circumstances, as well as during emergencies, crises, and disasters.
The "Jahaziya" platform provides real-time interactive dashboards in the Authority's operations centre and automates the operations of incident, notification, emergency, and crisis management. It also consolidates all data related to emergency and crisis management into a unified database linked to the Authority's internal systems and its strategic partners in crisis and emergency management. This ensures a unified view of operations and real-time awareness of crises and disasters, which puts decision-makers directly in the picture. (ANI/WAM)