Animal health is an important issue in Central Asia, with livestock being a staple part of the economy. Tajikistan is not an exception either, where almost half of the population works in agriculture. Therefore, the ability to prevent, detect, and manage animal diseases is critical to for the sector’s growth, as well as for the intra-regional trade of livestock and related commodities.

As part of a new initiative to create a Central Asia Animal Health Network (CAAHN), FAO has embarked on assessing the surveillance and laboratory diagnostic capabilities of these countries. The evaluation has concluded already in Kyrgyzstan and recently in Tajikistan, while Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are expected to follow later this year.