Southeast Asia’s Chief Veterinary Officers commit to coordinated, epidemiology-driven action to strengthen animal health

Zoonotic and transboundary animal diseases such as avian influenza, continue to threaten health, livelihoods and trade in Southeast Asia, where the high density of human and animal populations, rich biodiversity and fragile environments increase disease risks. While veterinary epidemiology is essential for understanding how diseases spread and for guiding prevention, detection and control, countries in the region still face challenges in turning epidemiological evidence into coordinated, timely decisions.

To address these gaps, Chief Veterinary Officers from nine Southeast Asian countries agreed on a regional roadmap to improve use of veterinary epidemiology in decision-making and to deepen cooperation against these threats.

“The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through its Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases, works with its Members to build strong animal health systems as a foundation of food security and One Health,” said Alue Dohong, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific. “By strengthening epidemiological capacity, countries can act faster, make informed decisions, and reduce disease risks and impacts on health, livelihoods and trade, he added.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Coordinating Centre for Animal Health and Zoonoses (ACCAHZ) was chosen as the hub to ensure regional coordination and collaboration on veterinary epidemiology and broader One Health priorities across Southeast Asia.

The new regional roadmap gives countries and ACCAHZ a common pathway to work together and will guide future funding and coordinated support. It sets out milestones for stronger workforce capacity, information sharing and coordinated responses across borders.

Key epidemiology applications for surveillance and early warning, outbreak management, risk assessment, and policy and programme planning were identified. Countries will work together to enable the use of epidemiology in the prevention, detection and response to animal health threats through ACCAHZ. FAO and development partners also reviewed the current and planned initiatives to ensure they align with identified actions.

“We will connect and coordinate activities from ASEAN Member States to the Southeast Asia’s networks to make these visions operational,” said Dr Mohd Shafarin Shamsuddin, Interim ACCAHZ Coordinating Officer. “We align regional and national priorities and ensure the collective efforts lead to timely, coordinated actions across ASEAN.”

Building a strong epidemiology workforce is a key component for success and countries will continue to collaborate through the FAO-supported Regional Field Epidemiology Training Programme for Veterinarians and through peer networks that support knowledge sharing and continuous professional development.

“As host of ACCAHZ, Malaysia is honored to share our experience and contribute actively to this regional initiative,” said YBhg. Datuk Dr Mohd Noor Hisham Mohd Haron, the Director General of Department Veterinary Services (DVS) Malaysia. “We look forward to supporting collaboration that strengthens veterinary epidemiology and safeguards animals, people and the environment.”

The decisions were agreed at the Regional CVOs’ Forum on Advancing Regional Animal Health Cooperation through Epidemiology, in Sepang, Malaysia, from 17 to 20 November 2025.

The event was made possible with support from the Australian Government, the Government of the United Kingdom through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the United States Department of Defense, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), whose contributions help turn regional commitments into sustained implementation.