WASHINGTON, May 27, 2025 - The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors today approved $60 million in financing to support the first phase of the One Health Program 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. 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 program 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. Growing passenger transit and trade in agricultural products represent great economic opportunities for the region if potential adverse consequences for health are addressed. The migration routes of wild animals across Central Asia, land degradation and climate change further exacerbate health risks. At this stage, the region lacks effective institutional mechanisms and infrastructure for the regional cooperation on zoonoses, AMR, and food safety.
"To implement the One Health approach effectively in Central Asia, stronger national and regional governance is essential. While regional agreements exist, translating them into action and ensuring cross-sector coordination remain challenging," Shobha Shetty, World Bank Global Director, Agriculture and Food Global Practice, noted. "The World Bank is committed to helping countries address these issues and access global expertise in implementing the One Health approach-an important step toward a healthier, more resilient, and prosperous future for Central Asia and neighboring regions."
In November 2023, with the support of the World Bank and other development partners, representatives from the health, agriculture, and environment sectors of the five countries of the region endorsed the Central Asia One Health Framework for Action-a regional strategy that lays the groundwork for the regional cooperation.
"The World Bank's new regional program will support the implementation of the Central Asia One Health Framework for Action, focusing on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response," Tatiana Proskuryakova, World Bank Director for Central Asia, emphasized. "It will help strengthen public health and veterinary services at the national and regional levels, which will result in greater competitiveness of agriculture, increased trade within Central Asia and beyond, and creating new and better jobs for the region's rapidly growing population."
A key outcome of the program will be the establishment of Central Asia's first regional One Health coordinating entity to advance cross-border collaboration, supporting the overall regional program 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 program, among other things, will focus on developing the relevant capacities of the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan's authorities to prevent and respond to pandemics. It includes a comprehensive set of activities to establish multi-sectoral national coordination structures and digital platforms, as well as strengthening professional capacity of public health and veterinary services workers through post-graduate education programs and training. Additionally, the regional program will help modernize and equip laboratory networks, support animal identification and traceability, and enhance rapid response systems for zoonotic and foodborne disease outbreaks.
