World Bank Says, Central Asian Countries Are Committed To The One Health Framework For Action
Central Asian countries are committed to the One Health Framework for Action, cited World Bank. The framework will help with three shared goals by the countries including pandemic preparedness and prevention.
According to the World Bank, this regional cooperation programme aims to strengthen the productivity and quality of agriculture, health and environment sectors across the region through a holistic approach.
The framework will serve as a strategic plan and investment structure, emphasising the collaboration across various sectors for the effective implementation of the One Health approach.
This strategically addresses three priority areas namely the prevention of antimicrobial resistance, the control of zoonoses and ensuring food safety.
In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, Central Asian countries stand in a vulnerable position to a potential health crisis, compounded by the increasing risks posed by climate change.
Diseases originating from animals contribute to more than 1 billion human infections globally each year which results in a significant loss to trade opportunities and livestock productivity.
Specifically, brucellosis, a disease transmitted from animals to humans, imposes an estimated annual cost of USD 76.2 million in livestock production and human health in Central Asia.
The One Health approach, which involves close collaboration between the environment, health, and agriculture sectors offers a very cost-effective strategy for controlling this disease.
Incremental adoption of cross-sectoral surveillance and cold storage as outlined in the framework, is projected to yield benefits ranging from USD 123 million to USD 294 million over the next 25 years.
Tatiana Proskuryakova, World Bank Country Director for Central Asia, emphasised the importance of this framework in enhancing regional cooperation in Central Asia for pandemic response and preparedness.
She stated that this framework is an important step towards greater cooperation in Central Asia on pandemic preparedness and response. It is in the interests of all countries to work together to protect the health of animals, people and the environment. The World Bank stands to attract the necessary investments to make the One Health Framework a reality.
The Central Asia One Health Framework for Action identifies a plan of action for areas crucial for expanding regional trade, increasing agriculture competitiveness and facilitating the export of animal-based products to global markets.
Given that agriculture plays a pivotal role in the regional GDP and is a key factor in Central Asia's vast rural areas. Therefore the implementation of the framework can support sustainable expansion of domestic production, creating economic opportunities for rural communities.
Furthermore, the One Health approach is anticipated to enhance landscape productivity by improving ecosystem health and contributing to safeguarding biodiversity in Central Asia.
It will help guide the implementation of this collaborative regional surveillance covering pasture degradation, wildlife and antimicrobial residues in the environment.
This proactive approach aims to enhance and reduce the risk of emerging diseases, and ecosystem health and strengthen preparedness for potential pandemics.
The adoption of the Central Asia One Health Framework for Action reflects a forward-looking approach to the well-being of ecosystems, communities and economies across the region.
