By Nneka Nwogwugwu
A $10 million contribution from the United States will assist the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in its work on COVID-19 response and addressing threats to human, animal and environmental health, including future pandemics.
The funding, announced on Thursday, will support the UN agency’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme, part of its broader One Health programme.
The initiative helps safeguard human, animal, plant and environmental health throughout the food chain, from production to consumption and waste management.
The funding will specifically be used to strengthen national and international One Health systems through enhanced multi-sectoral early warning, risk assessment and risk reduction, and progressive management of emerging and endemic high impact animal and plant pests and diseases, including those with epidemic and pandemic potential.
“We thank the Government of the United States of America for its generous support to FAO’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Program and One Health Tripartite risk assessments at national levels,” said FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu.
“A science-based One Health approach across agrifood systems is critical for early warning and prevention of zoonotic diseases.”
The US contribution will benefit countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Near East.