Turkmenistan strengthens intersectoral cooperation under the “One Health” project

A two-day seminar titled “Enhancing Environmental and Health Capacities within the One Health Approach” was held in Ashgabat.

The event was jointly organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan.

On 17–18 November, international and national partners working in the fields of healthcare, ecology, agriculture, and socio-economic development discussed priority environmental and health issues, opportunities for integrating them into the “One Health” approach, and global and regional trends in this area. The main focus was on strengthening interagency coordination and increasing national capacities to address environmental and sanitary challenges.

The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of WHO, the UN Environment Programme, the World Organisation for Animal Health for Central Asia, and the National Coordinator of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Representatives emphasized the importance of the systemic “One Health” approach, its role in preventing risks at the intersection of human health, animal health, and environmental well-being, and the need to strengthen national capacities and interagency cooperation.

Officials from the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkmenistan made presentations. They highlighted the importance of coordinated interdepartmental cooperation on issues of health and ecology. They reaffirmed Turkmenistan’s commitment to sustainable development principles, stressing the importance of coordination between institutions for responding effectively to sanitary-epidemiological challenges and continuing collaboration with international partners to advance the “One Health” approach.

Turkmenistan was represented at the seminar by the Director of the CAREC Project Office (Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia) in Turkmenistan, Mergen Kepbanov, and regional One Health project expert Maral Chommadova.

“It is a great honor for me to represent CAREC at this seminar. Such meetings strengthen intersectoral dialogue and help develop joint approaches to addressing environmental and health issues,” said Mergen Kepbanov.