On December 9, 2024, the first meeting and introductory seminar of the FAO regional project “One Health” – protecting food systems, preventing future pandemics, was held at the “Archabil” hotel. The project is funded by the Pandemic Fund. Representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and other interested agencies of the country, including representatives of FAO, WHO, and USAID, participated in the meeting. International experts included FAO experts Eran Raizman, Duriya Charyphan, and Dsani Ester. The main goal of the seminar was to assess the capabilities of veterinary diagnostics and the national system for monitoring antimicrobial resistance in the food and agriculture sector.
At the meeting, Arslan Soltanmyradov, Head of the Department of International and Scientific Relations of the State Veterinary Service under the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkmenistan, gave a report. He highlighted the important topic of monitoring antimicrobial resistance in the food and agricultural sectors, addressing key aspects such as: the importance of monitoring the use of antimicrobial drugs in agriculture; the impact of antibiotic resistance on the health of people, animals, and the environment; the need for intersectoral cooperation to prevent the spread of resistant strains; and recommendations for implementing effective risk management strategies.
In this regard, Turkmenistan plans to assess and monitor the potential of veterinary laboratories at the national and provincial levels, as well as identify intervention priorities. Along with the assessment, an evaluation of the national system for monitoring antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the food and agricultural sector will be conducted in Turkmenistan using the “FAO Assessment Tool for Laboratories and AMR Surveillance Systems” (FAO – ATLASS).
