Rome: To stop new health risks from turning into pandemics in the future, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain has urged increased international funding for animal health, disease surveillance, and One Health systems.
Addressing the high-level session on “FAO and the Pandemic Fund: Building Robust Animal Health Systems and Sustainable Solutions to Prevent the Next Pandemic” at FAO Headquarters in Rome, the Federal Minister said pandemic prevention must begin upstream by addressing risks at the human-animal-environment interface and strengthening systems capable of detecting and containing threats before they become crises.
Rana Tanveer Hussain said Pakistan faces a significant One Health challenge due to its large livestock population, close human-animal-environment interactions, high population mobility and recurring climate-related shocks. He stressed that animal health is directly linked with food security, rural livelihoods and public health.
The Minister highlighted Pakistan’s progress under the Pandemic Fund, noting that the country was awarded approximately US$18.7 million, with US$4.1 million in co-financing and US$49.7 million in co-investment mobilized around the programme. The initiative is being led by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination, in coordination with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and the Ministry of Climate Change, with WHO, FAO and ADB as implementing entities.
He said that significant progress had been made in less than 18 months of implementation. A National One Health Secretariat is operational at the National Institutes of Health, while One Health Units and coordination committees have been established in five of six regions.
On animal health, the Minister said laboratory network strengthening was approximately three-quarters complete, with provincial veterinary laboratories surveyed, upgrade plans finalized, and guidelines for sample collection and transportation issued. He also highlighted the enrolment of Pakistan’s first national poultry laboratory in international proficiency testing.
Rana Tanveer Hussain said an upgraded electronic Animal Disease Reporting and Surveillance System was being developed with the endorsement of all provinces and regions. The expanded system will strengthen disease surveillance across livestock while extending coverage to wildlife and aquaculture, broadening Pakistan’s capacity to identify emerging threats.
He further highlighted multisectoral rapid response teams and field epidemiology training at provincial and district levels, aimed at enabling professionals from human, animal and environmental health sectors to respond jointly to disease threats.
“Animal health is not the periphery of pandemic prevention for a country like Pakistan; it is the front door,” he said, emphasizing that investment in animal and environmental health can reduce the human and economic costs of future outbreaks.
The Federal Minister said Pakistan was ready to share its experience of operationalizing the One Health approach within a large and complex federal system and welcomed continued cooperation with FAO, the Pandemic Fund Secretariat and member states.
He urged for ongoing international collaboration and sustainable funding to consolidate advancements in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, and he valued FAO’s technical know-how and field presence in bolstering animal health systems and advancing the One Health concept.
