The Global Laboratory Leadership Programme (GLLP) was officially launched in Yerevan, Armenia on March 12, 2021 with IQLS on-site to lead and oversee the introduction of the program, including Chief Scientific Officer Antoine Pierson, National Laboratory Specialist Zaruhi Davtyan and International Laboratory Specialist Arsen Zakaryan.

The goal of the meeting was to plan the local roll-out of the GLLP, identifying mentoring and improvement projects for Armenia.

Agenda Highlights
To start, IQLS presented an introduction to the GLLP to attendees, which was then followed by discussions on the Terms of Reference for the GLLP Armenia Working Group. The yearly GLLP work plan was also addressed, and an agreement on all points was reached with deadlines updated.

A report including the review of recent human and veterinary laboratory system assessments was reviewed to identify prevailing weaknesses, and these results were used to prioritize GLLP competencies.

Participants & Key Stakeholders
Participants from across Armenian Ministries and institutions were present, including:

  • The Ministry of Health (MOH),
  • The Ministry of Economy (MOE),
  • The National Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDCP),
  • The Food Safety Inspectorate (FSI) of Republic of Armenia,
  • Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU),
  • Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU), and
  • The National Institute of Health (NIH).

Prior to the kick-off meeting, IQLS met with the following key stakeholders for the GLLP in Armenia to discuss introducing the program and establish commitments:

  • Deputy Minister of Health Lena Nanushyan,
  • Deputy Minister of Economy Tigran Gabrielyan,
  • Head of FSI Georgi Avetisyan,
  • Rector of ANAU Vardan Urutyan,
  • Director of NIH Alexandr Bazarchyan, and
  • Vice Rectors of YSMU Garnik Avetisyan and Konstantin Yenkoyan.

Meeting Outcomes
The first GLLP meeting in Armenia was very successful, with more participants in attendance than originally planned due to active interest. Working Group members were nominated by respective Ministries and institutions, and the Terms of Reference for the WG were also developed as well as competencies prioritized for the program.

Next Steps
Moving forward, processes and criteria will be defined to select national mentors and participants for the GLLP in Armenia. Training materials will also be customized and translated into the local language to prepare for a June 2021 start date.

About the GLLP: Empowering National Laboratory Systems
The Global Laboratory Leadership Programme is a collaboration of six international partner organizations who support the advancement of laboratory systems across the globe. These partners include: the World Health Organization (WHO), the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). They are committed to the vision of laboratory leaders empowering national laboratory systems across the globe using a One Health approach to strengthen health security of human, animal, food and water laboratories.

The GLLP is being introduced in Armenia and Moldova to foster and mentor current and emerging laboratory leaders to build, strengthen, and sustain national laboratory systems.

Please see the GLLP website for more information at: https://www.who.int/initiatives/global-laboratory-leadership-programme