On the 23rd of January, the second meeting of the national intersectoral coordination committee on the implementation of the «One Health approach» in Turkmenistan was held in the conference hall of the «Yyldyz» Hotel in Ashgabat.

The committee was created at the national level to coordinate, communicate and effectively implement joint activities in this area, and includes representatives from a number of ministries and departments of the country. The first meeting was held in June last year.

During the meeting, reports were heard from national coordinators on the implementation of this approach, including from the ministries of environmental protection, health and medical industry of Turkmenistan and others, as well as the State Veterinary Service under the Ministry of Agriculture of the country. The participants also familiarized themselves with the progress of the Pandemic Fund project «Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Pandemics» within the framework of the «One Health» initiative.

In general, the possibility of a nationwide approach to comprehensive, integrated healthcare was discussed, which includes issues of interconnectedness and planning of a sustainable balance between the protection of human and animal health and the preservation of ecosystems, the readiness of the industries involved to various risks. This approach is used to analyse innovative methods of epidemiological surveillance in arid climates and to combat diseases against the backdrop of climate change.