Central Asia to Boost Pandemic Preparedness with $60 Million World Bank Support

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved $60 million in funding to support the first phase of the One Health Programme in Central Asia.

The financing package includes a $30 million concessional credit for the Kyrgyz Republic and a $30 million grant for Tajikistan to help strengthen their capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to priority health risks affecting both humans and animals, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.

Additionally, each country will receive a $1.79 million grant from the Pandemic Fund to respond to the relevant challenges.

This financing marks the launch of a $130 million regional program aimed at supporting Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in safeguarding the health of people, animals, and the environment through a coordinated One Health approach - a collaborative and multi-sectoral strategy. The programme will be implemented from 2025 to 2032 by regional and national agencies across the health, agriculture, and environment sectors in the five countries.

Central Asian countries face significant health-related risks, including the emergence and reemergence of pathogens that affect both humans and animals (zoonoses), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and food safety issues.

A key outcome of the programme will be the establishment of Central Asia’s first regional One Health coordinating entity to advance cross-border collaboration, supporting the overall regional programme governance, workforce development, and knowledge agenda. The Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, will host a coordination secretariat.

The first phase of the regional programme, among other things, will focus on developing the relevant capacities of the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan’s authorities to prevent and respond to pandemics.