Strengthening Global Health Security: Ten Countries, Ten Success Stories

The Evaluation of FAO’s support to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) underscored the critical role of the GHSA-FAO programme in enhancing animal health capacity by establishing expert teams at both national and regional levels, strengthening laboratory and surveillance systems, and developing a skilled workforce. These activities, which build on previous efforts, remain highly relevant and must continue adapting to evolving needs, as evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Explore the highlights from ten countries where GHSA support is making a difference and find out more in the full report. 

Tanzania: Building a Sustainable Laboratory System

With no accredited veterinary laboratories for over 20 years, Tanzania faced a critical gap in disease detection and response. Through the FAO’s Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) programme, the FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD)  supported the Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency (TVLA) in achieving ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation in 2021. Through ECTAD, FAO provided training, reagents and quality system strengthening. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the lab pivoted to local production of reagents, enhancing sustainability and reducing operational costs. The government’s commitment signals long-term ownership of laboratory quality systems.

Sierra Leone: Rebuilding After Conflict

Decades after the civil war destroyed key infrastructure, the FAO’s GHSA programme helped renovate Sierra Leone’s Central Veterinary Laboratory to Biosafety Level 2. Now integrated into the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the facility can diagnose major zoonoses including anthrax and rabies. A national veterinary laboratory strategy (2023–2025), developed with FAO’s support, is guiding the establishment of a One Health laboratory network, bringing together animal, human, environmental and fisheries sectors.

Guinea: Digitizing the Transport System for Samples

In Guinea, delays and cold chain management once plagued sample transport. FAO-ECTAD introduced a smartphone-enabled tracking system with GPS-linked thermal probes and a secure dashboard. The innovation reduced sample rejection from 30 percent to 4.4 percent, shortened delivery time from 7 to 2 days, and cut diagnostic turnaround by more than half. The system has accelerated disease response and enabled faster decision-making in Guinea’s livestock sector.

Viet Nam: Advancing Collaboration to Drive the Wildlife Health Agenda

In Viet Nam, FAO-ECTAD has worked closely with the government and partners to tackle risks from legal and illegal wildlife trade. Key achievements include digitizing wildlife breeding centre registrations, contributing to zoonotic spillover prevention projects, and supporting CITES implementation. FAO also co-chairs the One Health Partnership Technical Working Group on Wildlife and Pandemic Prevention, promoting risk management at the human-animal-ecosystem interface.

Kenya: Bridging the Technical-Communication Gap

In Kenya, the FAO’s ECTAD team strengthened stakeholder engagement by translating technical results into policy-relevant messages. Policymakers responded positively to communication materials that highlighted the social impact of interventions. Outreach extended to mainstream media, and success stories were promoted online. Success stories on the In-Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) training programme were published and posted on the FAO website and promoted to national mainstream media. The roll out of the (ISAVET) has also been captured in a video that reached a wide audience.

Ghana: Empowering Women in Animal Health

In underserved communities of Ghana, FAO-ECTAD is supporting over 90 female community animal health workers with training and mobile tools for disease surveillance. These women serve as the first line of defence in animal health, using the FAO’s Event Mobile Application to report suspected cases. Biosecurity and poultry disease training has also empowered members of the Poultry Value Chain Association to prevent outbreaks and educate fellow farmers.

Bangladesh: Investing in Vocational Training and Education

FAO-ECTAD is modernizing veterinary education in Bangladesh by supporting university teaching, updating curricula with modules on zoonoses and promoting gender-balanced learning environments. The Bangladesh Veterinary Olympiad now provides students with a platform to sharpen skills, while national events such as the Continuing Education for the Veterinarians and Animal Husbandry Graduates of Bangladesh (CEVET) help bridge the gap between education and field application.

Indonesia: Engaging the Private Sector in Surveillance

To monitor evolving strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), FAO-ECTAD and Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with WOAH, and the Directorate General of the Ministry of Agriculture, and assisted by experts from Australia, established the Influenza Virus Monitoring Network. This real-time surveillance platform connects public laboratories, universities and private-sector partners — including vaccine manufacturers. Field samples are genetically analysed to inform vaccine design, while the government now runs the initiative as a regional reference for bioinformatics.

Cameroon: Increasing Resilience to Future Health Emergencies

Cameroon, where mpox is endemic, has received FAO-GHSA support to strengthen preparedness and surveillance. Initiatives include improving laboratory systems, supplying equipment and reagents and training ecoguards in wildlife sampling. Following a 2021 outbreak, a joint risk assessment helped guide national awareness-raising. These actions reflect a holistic One Health response to emerging zoonoses.

Senegal: Institutionalizing and Operationalizing the One Health Platform

In Senegal, FAO-ECTAD’s support contributed to the establishment of a National One Health Platform, formalized by a Prime Ministerial decree. A high-level campaign mobilized key actors through workshops, university events and media outreach. Seven thematic working groups now guide surveillance, strategic planning and antimicrobial resistance efforts, with decentralized coordination at regional levels. FAO-ECTAD continues to serve as an implementing partner for antimicrobial resistance initiatives.