The latest FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme fact-sheet was launched today. It touches on the importance and uniqueness of South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) approaches to support countries facing transboundary challenges, such as high-impact transboundary animal diseases (TADs).

This edition showcases the achievements brought about by the joint initiative between the SSC Programme, FAO’s Strategic Programme and technical units involved in the control of TADs.

The core accomplishment of this initiative has been the empowering of recipient countries and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) to become providers of knowledge and expertise via SSTC – in this particular case study in Zimbabwe, for the control of a high-impact TAD , namely the African animal trypanosomosis (AAT), transmitted by tsetse flies.

This collaboration was conceived, as a result of the importance given to livestock for food security and resilient livelihoods in African countries. 

Smallholder farmers are often affected severely by the outbreak of animal diseases. Animal production is essential to their subsistence, nutrition, and food security, therefore, strengthening the resilience of smallholders and supporting animal health in order to increase healthier livestock production is a crucial component of this initiative, supported by SSTC.

This initiative is a great demonstration of how SSTC approaches are needed to tackle transboundary problems, and how all countries can become providers of knowledge, experiences, and technologies through SSTC.

The FAO-China SSC Programme, in partnership with FAO’s Animal Production and Health Division (NSA) and its Programme Against African Trypanosomosis (PAAT), as well as the team working on the strategic objective 5 on resilience, have been working together for many year to support countries affected by high-impact TADs through the Programme’s Global Capacity Development project. 

For more information read the full fact-sheet here.