Innovative FAO tool helps Tajikistan tackle antimicrobial resistance

To assist countries in tackling antimicrobial resistance, FAO has developed a tool called the Progressive Management Pathway for antimicrobial resistance.

According to the FAO Country Office in Tajikistan, this practical self-assessment tool provides guidance for countries in developing and implementing a multi-sector “One Health” national action plan. The tool is in the testing phase and has been piloted in Belgium and Ghana.

During a three-day workshop that kicked off in Dushanbe yesterday, Tajikistan becomes the first country in the Europe and Central Asia region to conduct pilot tests of the tool.  The country’s national antimicrobial resistance action plan was developed in 2018 by Tajikistan’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Committee.

During the workshop, a team comprising FAO experts and representatives of the government, private sector, civil society and international organizations are testing the tool and evaluate the progress of the implementation of the Tajikistan’s national action plan.  Accomplishments, challenges and potential solutions for managing antimicrobial resistance in Tajikistan will be identified and discussed by experts from backgrounds that include human health, animal health, plant health and the environment.

Recognizing that the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment are closely interconnected, the Progressive Management Pathway for antimicrobial resistance tool promotes a coordinated and multi-sectoral “One Health” approach in managing antimicrobial resistance.  “One Health” emphasizes that no sector can solve antimicrobial resistance by itself, that solutions must be sought through the close cooperation of the human health, animal health and agriculture sectors, among others.

This initiative is supported by an FAO regional project, funded by the Russian Federation, to reduce the advance of antimicrobial resistance in food and agriculture.  In addition to Tajikistan, the project aims to tackle antimicrobial resistance in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.