Establishment of a Central Asian Animal Health Network (CAAHN)

Participating countries:

Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan

Organizers: FAO, through its regional office for Europe and Central Asia (REU), will function as the initial driver of this animal health network, which will serve as an umbrella under which laboratory and the epidemiology networks operate. Coordination with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) will be promoted.

Language: English with simultaneous translation to Russian

Objectives:

• harmonize policies and approaches
• identify gaps, weaknesses and priorities/fulfil gaps by providing training, capacity building
• exchange information and experience
• standardize laboratory, field prevention/control, operating, communication and other procedures
• efficient coordination of disease/theme specific sub-network

Participants:

• FAO-sponsored*: Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan
• Representatives from FAO, World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD)

Three participants per country (CVO, one epidemiologists, and one laboratory expert)During day 1, t is expected to provide countries with examples of other successfully operating regional networks, conduct technical presentations with discussion sessions setting the baseline for establishing a CAAHN applying FAO tools, and developing by countries a detailed Action plan.Day 2 will focus on a jointly developed Action plan, application of tools on information sharing and formulation of recommendations.