FAO, EU support veterinary services to develop strategy in Tajikistan

AKIPRESS.COM - A one-day workshop was held in Dushanbe to finalize the strategy for developing veterinary services in Tajikistan. This document, based on rigorous analysis and diagnosis, was initiated by the Association of Veterinarians of Tajikistan and the Committee for Food Security under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the European Union, EU Delegation to Tajikistan said. The country needs the strategy to ensure more efficient veterinary services and provision of the food safety, while dealing with many significant challenges such as climate change, the emergence of new diseases and cross-border diseases.
The strategy will represent a roadmap for the development of this sector and will support putting it into action. It also serves as a tool for anticipating opportunities and challenges in the livestock subsector.
Moreover, a participatory approach with extensive consultations with all stakeholders, including ministries, academia and professional organizations, was adopted during the development of this strategy. This approach will promote strengthening and enhancing of current achievements when providing a clear vision adapted to the local, regional and international contexts.
Through group works and presentations, the participants of the event familiarized themselves with this document, and shared lessons learnt, concerns and challenges of the veterinary sector, related spheres and issues in the country.
"When the livestock represents a form of bank or saving accounts, the animal health services have the potential to provide greater support to livelihoods in countries where animals form a backbone of the rural economy. The strong system of private veterinary services is an essential prerequisite for successful development of the livestock sector in the country," mentioned FAO Representative in Tajikistan, Oleg Guchgeldiyev.
"The successful implementation of this strategy in turn highly depends on the sense of ownership by all those who contributed to its development. At the same time, it requires accountability and effective revision mechanism to be continuously improved," he added.
Activities related to the development of the strategy for veterinary services are part of the project "Strengthening institutions and capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture and State Veterinary Inspection Service for policy formulation," funded by the European Union.
Since 2016 the European Union and FAO are working together to support the agricultural policy reforms in the country, including the development of relevant strategies, designing institutional frameworks and strengthening the technical knowledge and skills of government and non-governmental institutions.