For farmers in Uzbekistan’s borderlands, even the threat of a sick goat can jeopardize an entire season. Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) — a highly contagious viral disease affecting sheep and goats — has never been officially detected in the country. However, as part of regional preparedness efforts, Uzbekistan is taking proactive measures to safeguard animal health. Recent trends in transboundary animal disease outbreaks across several regions underscore the importance of early warning systems and regional preparedness. With mortality rates in infected flocks reaching up to 90 percent, PPR has devastating consequences for rural livelihoods, particularly among smallholder farmers and women engaged in livestock production.

Just a few days before Stop Food Waste Day on 30 April, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has successfully delivered the first regional edition of a virtual learning course on tackling food loss and waste (FLW). Developed in collaboration with the International Food Waste Coalition (now part of the Waste and Resources Action Programme Europe) and hosted on FAO’s Virtual Learning Center, the course offered a hands-on, practical training experience tailored for key actors in the region’s agrifood value chains and systems.

National food control systems, in line with internationally recognized food safety and quality standards, are a cornerstone of ensuring the safety and quality of the food we put on our tables. Recognizing this priority, the Republic of Belarus has requested support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to facilitate a self-assessment by using the Food Control System Assessment Tool (FCSAT), developed by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Living amidst grapevines that have been around since the time of his ancestors, it is no wonder Givi Chubinidze became convinced to follow in their footsteps. Here in the green valleys of Georgia’s Imereti region, bordered by the Likhi mountain range, endemic blue and purple grape varieties, such as tsitska, krakhuna and adanasuri, have been a part of the local landscape and cultural heritage for centuries.

The One Health approach recognizes the interconnections between people and ecosystems and aims to sustainably balance the health of people, plants, animals and the environment. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is strongly committed to this integrated, unifying approach. This was the core message, delivered by FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia Viorel Gutu at a high-level meeting of the Regional One Health Coordination Mechanism today in Copenhagen when the chairmanship of the Mechanism was handed over from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) to FAO, ensuring continued collaboration on One Health priorities in the region.

Recognizing the critical role of municipalities to reduce food loss and waste (FLW), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has recently released a  publication on “Food Recovery and Distribution – A Practical Guide for Favourable Policies and Legal Frameworks in Europe and Central Asia”. This report provides timely guiding principles and recommendations for policymakers, particularly at the local level, to analyse and review their legal and policy frameworks to facilitate food recovery and redistribution—key elements of broader strategies to prevent and reduce FLW, and to support a circular bioeconomy. 

Peste des petits (PPR) ruminants outbreaks in Europe, effecting Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, and Hungary highlight the need prevention and control of this disease. The Food and Veterinary Agency (FVA) of North Macedonia has organized a simulation exercise on PPR with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and experts from the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held an interactive lecture series at the Agricultural University of Tirana, engaging students in discussions on climate-smart agriculture and international plant protection standards. This event, part of the Business4SDGs Phase II project, aimed to bridge scientific research with practical implementation, equipping Albania’s future agricultural professionals with knowledge to address pressing global challenges.

Ensuring food safety and quality remains a top priority for North Macedonia. Codex Alimentarius standards are a crucial set of tools to ensure food safety and quality across the food chain from production through to consumption. Co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Food and Veterinary Agency of North Macedonia, a national event was held on 19 February dedicated to promoting the Codex standards. The event was another step in strengthening the country’s food safety and quality through the FAO/WHO Codex Trust Fund project.

On 27 February 2025, key stakeholders gathered in Baku for the national inception meeting of the project “Building Capacities on Food Consumption Data for Better Nutrition and Safer Food”. The initiative aims to equip Azerbaijan with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed, data-driven decisions that improve public health and nutrition. By strengthening national data systems, this project will help ensure that the people of Azerbaijan have access to safer, more nutritious food.

The safety of workers in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors worldwide remains a concern. Despite efforts by governing bodies and other responsible entities, the number of accidents in these fields continues to be persistently high globally. For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of Kyrgyzstan, organized a regional workshop to discuss a draft Code of Practice on Occupational Health and Safety in Aquaculture and Fisheries for Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Brucellosis is a disease that primarily affects ruminants in many countries around the world. Due to its zoonotic nature – being transmissible from animals to humans – it often affects farm workers and rural populations. To further prevent brucellosis in Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has organized a three-day workshop, starting today, to assess countries’ status in the progressive control of brucellosis. The event brings together representatives from public health and veterinary authorities from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. 

The One Health approach emphasizes the interconnected health of humans, animals, and ecosystems. By fostering collaboration across sectors like agriculture, healthcare, and environmental management, One Health aims to tackle complex global health challenges, such as emerging diseases, through integrated solutions. In a bid to enhance national capacities and bridge gaps between sectors, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), alongside the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), known as the Quadripartite, launched a Russian-language version of its One Health course. 

Avian influenza, often referred to as bird flu, is a major transboundary disease with zoonotic potential. By 2024, more than 800 cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus were reported across 23 countries. The disease is present and actively spreading across Europe as well. While avian influenza viruses do not presently transmit easily between humans, continued circulation in poultry could lead to mutations that increase human-to-human transmissibility. In response, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is offering online training to equip European veterinarians, who are the first responders, with the skills needed to detect and react to this cross-species virus, helping to mitigate severe health impacts on both animals and people.

Five countries in Europe and Central Asia became better prepared to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in their agrifood systems through support of a project implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and funded by the Russian Federation. Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan took initial actions on AMR in the agrifood sectors, with special emphasis on the livestock sector, and implemented measures to reduce the development and spread of AMR.

On 3 September 2024, a webinar "One Health" was held with the participation of 87 representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), representatives of the European Economic Community (EEC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), the Commonwealth of Independent States CIS Executive Committee, authorized bodies of the, Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a significant global health threat affecting humans, animals, plants, and the environment, and as such is a perfect example of a One Health issue. In an effort to combat AMR, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has implemented Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) surveys aligned with the objectives in its Action Plan on AMR and the Global Action Plan on AMR. Conducted from 2020 to 2023, these surveys revealed antimicrobial use practices and awareness of AMR in the livestock sector of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo¹, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Ukraine.

FAO’s Virtual Learning Center for Europe and Central Asia recently developed and delivered a new virtual learning tutored course on improving ruminant biosecurity. This capacity building tool aims to equip field veterinarians and industry professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to assess and improve biosecurity on all sorts of ruminant farms. The course was developed in collaboration with experts from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) with support from Lleida University (UdL) and LleidaVet in Spain.

A three-day seminar on One Health, co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), concluded on 13 June in Vienna. The meeting, hosted by the Austrian Ministry of Health and held at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, brought together representatives from 38 government agencies across Europe and Central Asia, including ministries of health, agriculture, and environment as well as regional and subregional organizations, institutions, collaborating centres, reference laboratories, relevant actors. 

FAO and the Regional Centre for Forestry and Rural Development (REFORD) in North Macedonia hosted the annual international meeting of the Forest Invasive Species Network for Europe and Central Asia (REUFIS) from 4 to 6 June 2024 in Skopje, North Macedonia. The primary focus of this year’s meeting was the role of invasive species in urban forest planning. During this three-day event, participants explored the relationship between invasive species and urban forestry.