"The situation calls for collective action for more support for global public goods like investment and research in vaccines and for actions that would ensure that the entire world shares in the burden and costs of prevention," Akram said in opening remarks to a special meeting organised by ECOSOC, a major UN organ.
Experts regard compensation for losses in the poultry industry particularly important not only to avoid crippling economic damage, but to reduce disincentives farmers and others might have to report new flu cases.
"Clearly, avian flu and other new and re-emerging diseases are going to be a recurring theme for some time to come, particularly in a globalised world where [they] can spread rapidly across continents," Ambassador Akram said, whose initiative to focus attention on the potentially devastating pandemic won praise from participants.
Other speakers at the Special Event on Avian Flu organised by 54-member ECOSOC stressed that if a pandemic emerged, it could entail millions of deaths, grave economic losses and depletion of already weak health systems of developing countries, particularly in Asia and Africa.
These countries typically lack adequate scientific capacity to track and respond to new and re-emerging diseases and need both technical and financial assistance in developing and implementing preparedness and response plans.
Panellists looked at the international response to the virus, best practices, and the manner in which the UN system should support national capacities, in line with the Economic and Social Council's mandate to improve system-wide co-ordination and provide policy guidance.
"The UN system needs to re-task itself" to aid prevention against pandemic and support the needs of developing countries," said David Nabarro, Senior UN System Co-ordinator for Avian and Human Influenza.
Speaking for the Food and Agricultural Organisation, Assistant Director-General Louise Fresco said that the price tag for prevention at source, among animals, will reach $425, but only $30 million has been made available so far.
The World Health Organisation Representative of the Director-General, Dr David Heymann stressed the urgency of upgrading capacity for surveillance for disease in animals and humans; improving communication infrastructure, skills for the immediate and long-term, ramping up production capacity in antivirals and investment in vaccine research and development.
A central role for the UN system in prevention and providing support was endorsed by governments, including the United States.
In his speech, Ambassador Munir Akram said the world was facing another re-emerging disease - Avian flu - which was spreading outside its area of emergence and of which very little was known, except that it was a possible global threat. The virus had spread from Asia to the Middle East and Europe along the path of migratory birds, and there were now fears that it would spread to Africa. The problem was urgent, global and crosscutting, and necessitated a sustained effort by all.
It was also exactly the kind of challenge that the new mandates given to the Council by the recent Summit were designed to address, he said.
The Avian flu, he said, was a call for collective action - a call for more investment in vaccines and for action that would ensure the entire world shared the costs. To that end, international financial institutions should consider setting up a fund to help put in place preparedness plans and compensate farmers for losses incurred culling their poultry.