Africa

Pierre Ericq Pierre, Permanent Representative of Haiti to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on the question concerning Haiti. Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 10 2025 (IPS)

Over the month of June, the security situation in Haiti has taken a considerable turn for the worse, with armed gangs continuing to coordinate brutal attacks, seizing more territory, and obstructing critical humanitarian aid deliveries. In the past week, new waves of hostilities were reported in the nation’s Centre Department, which has elicited concern from humanitarian organizations that gang influence could soon completely overpower state control.

“As gang control expands, the state’s capacity to govern is rapidly shrinking, with social, economic and security implications,” said Ghada Fathi Waly, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “This erosion of state legitimacy has cascading effects,” such as the suspension of legal commerce along critical trade routes and the exacerbation of food insecurity.

Approximately 90 percent of the nation’s capital of Port-Au-Prince is estimated to be under gang control, with widespread cases of abuse and impunity being documented. On July 2, Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General for the Americas at the Department of Political Affairs (DPPA) informed reporters that international commercial flights have been suspended, effectively leaving the capital “paralyzed” and “isolated”.

“Since (January), gangs have only strengthened their foothold, which now affects all communes of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and beyond, pushing the situation closer to the brink,” said Jenča. “Without increased action by the international community, the total collapse of state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario.”

On July 7, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released its latest situation report detailing the escalation of insecurity across several communes in the Centre Department. According to the report, the security situation in the Lower Plateau had been destabilized following an attack on the Lascahobas commune on July 3, which triggered mass displacement to surrounding areas where resources were already stretched.

According to estimates from OCHA, prior to these attacks, Belladere and Hinche housed 27,000 and 10,000 displaced individuals, respectively. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that following the attacks, roughly 16,250 Haitians, or 4,003 households, were forced to flee from Lascahobas, with 57 percent being displaced to Belladere, 14 percent to Hinche, 8 percent to Savanette, and 18 percent to a neighboring municipality in the West Department.

This attack underscores the drastic escalation of hostilities in previously calm areas. Prior to the attacks on Mirebalais and Sauts-d’Eau in March, the Centre Department had largely been isolated from gang related violence. This is also the case for the southern and eastern regions of Haiti, with the latter reporting numerous cases of gangs exploiting critical crossings used for the movement of goods.

In addition to combating gang activity, the Haitian National Police (HNP) have also struggled to control the emergence of self-defense groups. “While some are motivated by the urgent need to protect their communities, many operate outside existing legal frameworks, in some cases engaging in extrajudicial actions and colluding with gangs,” said Waly.

Despite some of these groups serving as critical lines of defense in numerous regions, many of them participate in extrajudicial actions, many of which violate international humanitarian law and exacerbate regional insecurity.

“Although these groups often serve as the last remaining security mechanisms in many areas, they violate fundamental human rights, including the right to life and right to a fair trial, and simultaneously fuel further violence in the form of retaliatory attacks by gangs,” said Jenča. Over the last three months, these groups reportedly killed at least 100 men, and one woman suspected of gang association or collaboration.” Waly adds that these actions push the national demand for guns, military weapons, and ammunition, fueling the persistence of illicit arms markets and violent crimes.

Additionally, humanitarian organizations have expressed concern over the recent use of drone technology by armed groups to conduct surveillance on their territories and track HNP movement. These tactics were first observed during the March 2024 attacks on two of Haiti’s largest prisons in Port-Au-Prince and Croix des Bouquets. The use of drones in densely populated civilian areas raises concerns about a lack of regulations and operational frameworks.

Furthermore, the UN has underscored the persistence of human rights violations, particularly rates of human trafficking. Over the past three months, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) recorded a significant increase in rates of sexual violence, which has been bolstered by a lack of reporting, continued social stigma, and a fear of reprisals. Additionally, BINUH has reported cases of illegal organ removal.

According to a UN spokesperson, the current humanitarian situation in Haiti is particularly alarming due to the Haitian government’s lack of action in addressing the structural gaps that allowed gang violence to prosper.

“While the expansion of territorial control brings gangs additional sources of revenue and bargaining power, these attacks are also backed by individuals trying to destabilize the political transition for their own political goals,” UN experts said on the way that gangs have exploited the disorganized response to the security crisis.

To bring lasting change in Haiti, it is imperative for the international community to scale up responses, particularly to assist the relatively weak national police and the multinational force. Furthermore, it is crucial for Haiti to establish harsher regulations for the importation of weapons.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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About 9.2 million people across the world living with HIV were not receiving treatment in 2024, according to the UNAIDS report. At the launch of the report were Rev. Mbulelo Dyasi, Executive Director of SANARELA. Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health of South Africa. Juwan Betty Wani, Programme Coordinator, Adolescents Girls and young women Network South Sudan. Helen Rees, Executive Director, Wits RHI. Credit: UNAIDS

By Jennifer Xin-Tsu Lin Levine
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 10 2025 (IPS)

UNAIDS called the funding crisis a ticking time bomb, saying the impact of the US cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) could result in 4 million unnecessary AIDS-related deaths by 2029.

A historic withdrawal of global HIV/AIDS funding threatens to derail decades of hard-won progress in the fight against AIDS, according to UNAIDS’ annual report, entitled Aids, Crisis and the Power to Transform. This funding shortage – caused by sudden and massive cuts from international donors – is already dismantling frontline services, disrupting lifesaving treatments for millions and endangering countless lives in the world’s most vulnerable communities.

“This is not just a funding gap—it’s a ticking time bomb,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima.

Despite major strides in 2024, including a decrease in new HIV infections by 40 percent and a decrease in AIDS-related deaths by 56% since 2010, the onset of restricted international assistance, which makes up 80 percent of prevention in low- and middle-income countries, could have disastrous effects. The report, mostly researched at the end of 2024, concluded that the end of AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 was in sight.

However, in early 2025 the United States government announced “shifting foreign assistance strategies,” causing them to withdraw aid from organizations like the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which had earlier promised 4.3 billion USD in 2025. PEPFAR is one of the primary HIV testing and treatment services in countries most affected. Such a drastic decision could have ripple effects, including pushing other major donor countries to revoke their aid. The report projected that if international funding permanently disappears, they expect an additional 6 million HIV infections and 4 million AIDS-related deaths by 2029.

At a Press Briefing, Assistant Secretary-General for UNAIDS Angeli Achrekar noted the importance of PEPFAR since its inception in 2003, calling it one of the most successful public health endeavors. She expressed hope that as the US lessens its support, other organizations and countries are able to take up the global promise of ending AIDS without eroding the gains already made.

Achrekar noted “acute shifts” in a weakening of commitment from countries less directly affected by HIV/AIDS since the US has pulled funding.

UNAIDS also reports a rising number of countries criminalizing populations most at risk of HIV – raising stigma and worsening gender-based violence and non-consensual sex, two of the highest HIV risk-enhancing behaviors. The report showed the primary groups who lacked care were child HIV infections and young women, which is likely related to government campaigns  “attacking HIV-related human rights, including for public health, with girls, women and people from key populations.”

These punitive laws include criminalization or prosecution based on general criminal laws of HIV exposure, criminalization of sex work, transgender people and same-sex sexual activity and possession of small amounts of drugs. These laws have been on the rise for the past few years, and in conjunction with limited funding, the results for HIV/AIDS-positive patients could be fatal.

Recently, scientific breakthroughs have been made regarding long-acting medicine to prevent HIV infection. Health workers have seen tremendous success, both with new technologies like annual injections and the potential for more growth in the form of monthly preventative tablets and in old prevention techniques like condom procurement and distribution and access to clean, safe needles for drug users. However, due to various global conflicts and wars, supply chains have been disrupted, often harming countries not in the thick of the altercation but reliant on products like PrEP, an HIV prevention medication.

Although many countries most afflicted with the AIDS crisis have stepped up, promising more national funding for the issue, and many community networks have doubled down on their efforts, the disruption of supply chains and the lack of international frontline health workers cannot be solved overnight. To entirely restructure how healthcare is provided takes time – something those with HIV do not always have.

Areas like sub-Saharan Africa, which in 2024 housed half of the 9.2 million people not receiving HIV treatment, have been particularly affected by the recent changes. The majority of child infections still occur there, and combinations of “debt distress, slow economic growth and underperforming tax systems” provide countries in sub-Saharan Africa with limited fiscal room to increase domestic funding for HIV.

Despite the loss of funding, significant progress has been made to protect essential HIV treatment gains. South Africa currently funds 77% of its AIDS response, and its 2025 budget review includes a 3.3% annual increase for HIV and tuberculosis programs over the next three years. As of December 2024, seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa have achieved the 95-95-95 targets established by UNAIDS: 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95% of those are on treatment, and 95% of those on treatment are virally suppressed. UNAIDS emphasized the importance of this being scaled up to a global level.

Achrekar observed, referring to countries whose domestic funds towards AIDS have increased, that “prevention is the last thing that is prioritized, but we will never be able to turn off the tap of the new infections without focusing on prevention as well.”

She reiterated the importance of countries most affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis establishing self-sustaining health practices to ensure longevity in both prevention and treatment.

Achrekar praised the global South for their work in taking ownership of treatment while still calling upon the rest of the world to join.

She said, “The HIV response was forged in crisis, and it was built to be resilient. We need, and are calling for, global solidarity once again, to rebuild a nationally owned and led, sustainable and inclusive multi-sectoral HIV response.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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By Maximilian Malawista
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 10 2025 (IPS)

Once landlocked, now connected, the UN Global Compact has bridged the gap between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East: having many call it the “New Silk Road”.

On June 22nd, the UN Global Compact launched their Central Asia Network to drive SDG progress, connecting more than 140 participant companies to the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. This initiative will offer the tools and resources necessary to drive business practices which are sustainable and in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Kazakhstan will serve as the initiative’s multi-country office connecting Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Previously operating separately in silos, these five nations will now be part of a unified platform integrating a green economic strategy and promoting regional development.

“By launching a Country Network here, we are anchoring responsible investment and sustainability into this dynamic corridor, “ said Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact. “We are harnessing the region’s untapped private-sector potential to drive green growth, improve transparency and foster social cohesion.”

This region holds immense capabilities. As sixty percent of people in the region are under age thirty, this offers a powerful human capital to support a new generation of job creation, infrastructure development, and supply chain capabilities.

The Belt and Road Initiative: a new ally

In 2023, The UN Global Compact and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) formalized a partnership in Beijing, designed to align infrastructure development with long-term sustainability.

As part of this initiative, two tools were introduced:

· Global Compact Ten Principles Applied in Infrastructure Sectors under the BRI: A Practical Guide for Private Sector Players.
· Maximizing Impact towards the SDGs: Guidance and Assessment Tool for Companies to Advance Sustainable Infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative.

These resources give private sector actors a strategy to not only reach the SGDs, but also further develop infrastructure planning, finance and project implementation, thereby advancing regional connectivity.

The results of this are happening fast. During a summit held in Astana on June 22, President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua exchanged a cooperation agreement with Arman Kyrykbayev, Assistant to the President of Kazakhstan, which outlined a collaboration facilitating big data-computing centers, and the creation of a China-Kazakhstan Exchange and Cooperation Center. The new hub will support the facilitation of trade, currency settlement, and cross border intellectual property transactions, reflecting BRI’s vital role in molding a more connected and integrated central Asia. The center is only one of four key regional centers that were launched under the umbrella of China-Central Asia collaboration, with the other three dedicated to poverty reduction, education exchange and desertification control.

In that same week, speaking in Astana, President Xi Jinping of China introduced the “China-Central Asia Spirit,” which he characterized it as a show of “mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit and mutual assistance for the joint pursuit of modernization through high-quality development”. During the summit, Xi, and the leaders of five Central Asian countries signed the treaty of permanent good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation, formalizing a shared vision for an expansive future.

The impact of these economic and diplomatic participations has been clear. China-Central Asia trade in 2024 reached 94.8 billion USD, yielding an increase of 5.4 billion dollars from the previous year. In perspective, this volume of trade is the equivalent of Uzbekistan’s entire GDP, a staggering development for a region previously left behind in the world of trade and commerce.

Infrastructure: the rails and ships of now

A port in the Yantian District in Shenzen, China. Credit: Unsplash/Leoon Liang

While policy and values have paved the way, infrastructure is laying the foundation. New railway and freight hubs are rapidly transforming Central Asia from a previously landlocked entity to a vital logistics mega hub.

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and the China-Europe Caspian Sea Express are examples of this. These new routes link Central Asia to the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe, expanding its market access exponentially. Chinese cities are opening freight train routes and direct flights to Central Asia, further enhancing supply chains, and making travel ever more efficient.

On June 30, the China-Europe Caspian Sea Express launched, making its multimodal journey to its destination in Baku from Beijing. The journey took approximately fifteen days, cutting travel by more than half. The train was loaded with 104 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), carrying approximately 2,300 tons of export goods, journeying across more than 8,000 kilometers. The corridor will also distribute cargo to Georgia, Türkiye and Serbia, among other regional entities.

The reality of regional cooperation

The transformation of Central Asian supply chains is not theoretical. This is happening in real time, with a new agreement being signed each day. While once fragmented and landlocked, Central Asia is becoming the new bridge between the East and the West: fast tracking expansion globally. Through the coordination of the UN Global Compact, China’s BRI, and regional partnerships, Central Asia has become the new hub for green innovation, sustainable trade, and youth driven economic revitalization.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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By Todd Schneider, Hany Abdel-Latif, Pedro Maciel and Henry Quach
WASHINGTON DC, Jul 10 2025 (IPS)

Seychelles—a nation of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean—today enjoys a comparatively high degree of economic stability. Inflation is below 2 percent, real GDP has largely recovered from the pandemic, public debt is on course to reach the government’s target of less than 50 percent of GDP before 2030, and per capita income is the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

But this stands in stark contrast to the country’s fortunes twenty years ago when it faced an economic crisis. What’s behind this turnaround?

From times of crisis

In the mid-2000s, Seychelles faced significant macroeconomic challenges stemming from expansionary fiscal policies and a rigid state-led economy. Large fiscal deficits were driven by high public spending on capital projects, subsidies, transfers to state enterprises and high debt service payments, while government revenues were constrained by significant tax concessions to foreign investors in the growing tourism sector.

An expansionary monetary policy within a fixed exchange rate framework and extensive exchange controls led to external imbalances and depletion of foreign reserves.

By 2008, gross public debt exceeded 192 percent of GDP and reserves had dwindled to just 2 weeks of import cover. The global financial crisis exacerbated these vulnerabilities, and the crisis came to a head in mid-2008 when the Seychelles authorities missed payments on the nation’s private foreign debt and Standard & Poor’s downgraded Seychelles to selective default.

Changing course

In response to this crisis, the government launched a comprehensive reform program with support from the IMF and other development partners. Key actions included abolishing all exchange restrictions and floating the rupee, consolidating public finances, reforming state enterprises, and abolishing indirect product subsidies in favor of a targeted social safety net.

Paris Club creditors agreed to a debt stock reduction. These measures quickly yielded positive outcomes: inflation fell, foreign reserves were restored to over 3 months of import cover, and public debt declined to below 70 percent of GDP within five years.

This turnaround rebuilt investor confidence, and the restoration of macroeconomic stability allowed policymakers room to shift from crisis management to macro-structural reforms in support of sustainable growth.

Resilience and commitment tested

The COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a sudden collapse in global tourism, was another tremendous shock. But its years of macroeconomic stability enabled Seychelles to face this new challenge from a position of strength.

Confronted with an economic contraction of nearly 12 percent in 2020, the government implemented timely fiscal and monetary measures to support households and businesses, utilized emergency financing from the IMF, and moved quickly to resume tourism.

As tourism rebounded in 2021 and 2022, economic growth surged to nearly 13 percent in 2022, helping to regain lost ground. Foreign exchange reserves were maintained above 3 months of import cover, and the exchange rate was allowed to move to facilitate adjustment.

Key to managing the effects of the pandemic and the international commodity shock that followed were the fiscal and foreign exchange buffers built up in prior years and a commitment to macro fiscal discipline demonstrated by the government.

Staying on course

Given highly volatile global economic and financial conditions, Seychelles’ hard-won macroeconomic stability will likely be put to the test again. Environmental pressures limit scope to expand tourism, while vulnerability to external shocks argues for continued strong fiscal discipline and external buffers.

To ensure continued economic growth and resilience, vital investments in infrastructure will be necessary, together with deeper development of human capital, more efficient public services, and financial sector deepening and inclusion.

Concerted efforts are also needed to strengthen the social safety net and address critical social ills that hamper productivity and economic development. Some of these areas fall within the reform agenda under the current IMF-supported Extended Fund Facility and Resilience and Sustainability Facility, but others will require new policy commitments.

Seychelles’ economic record highlights the importance of sound macroeconomic management and institutional strengthening in achieving and sustaining economic prosperity. Its journey offers valuable lessons for other small economies aiming at building resilience in an increasingly uncertain global landscape.

Todd Schneider is IMF mission chief to Seychelles and an advisor in the IMF’s African Department, where Hany Abdel-Latif is an economist, Pedro Maciel is a senior economist, and Henry Quach is a research analyst.

The IMF Executive Board recently completed the fourth review of Seychelles’ economic performance under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).

IPS UN Bureau

 

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By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 9 2025 (IPS)

On July 2, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the “3 by 35” initiative in an effort to boost public health and limit global consumption of harmful substances. By urging international governments to implement taxes on tobacco, sugary drinks, and alcohol, WHO seeks to reduce worldwide cases of noncommunicable disease amid heightened strains on global health systems and a shrinking supply of funding.

Through the initiative, WHO aims to introduce “health taxes” that would raise the prices of tobacco, sugary drinks, and alcohol by 50 percent by 2035. In addition to promoting healthier lifestyle choices, health and humanitarian experts are hopeful that these taxes could boost public revenue that could be used to revitalize critical public sectors, particularly in developing and lower-income countries that are experiencing diminishing funding for development aid.

WHO is optimistic that these taxes could raise $1 trillion dollars in revenue in the next ten years. “Health taxes are one of the most efficient tools we have,” said Dr Jeremy Farrar, Assistant Director-General, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and Control, WHO. “They cut the consumption of harmful products and create revenue governments can reinvest in health care, education, and social protection. It’s time to act.”

This comes after the success of similar strategies that have been implemented across various regions. In 2017, Colombia implemented a tax on sugary beverages which resulted in a 22 percent decline in nationwide sugary beverage consumption and generated approximately USD 360 million annually, which was allocated for funding healthcare programs.

On the other hand, Vietnam’s recent push to increase taxes on alcohol and tobacco has yielded mixed results. In June 2025, the Vietnamese Parliament approved a tax increase on alcoholic beverages from 65 percent to 90 percent by 2031. Additionally, parliament is actively considering the implementation of a hybrid tax system on tobacco products, including an Ad Valorem tax of 75 percent as well as an additional fixed tax per pack.

The tax on alcohol in Vietnam poses numerous economic risks as the brewing industry could see substantial losses, leading to job cuts and a significant decline in revenue. Both of these taxes could also raise rates of illicit trade and the alternative consumption of unregulated goods.

Despite the recent initiative eliciting significant pushback from beverage corporations, WHO is adamant that it will yield long-term benefits for public health. WHO attributes this to the results of previous tobacco taxes implemented by 140 countries from 2012 to 2022. In 2020, WHO estimated that approximately 1 billion people around the world experienced health benefits from living in countries with high taxes on tobacco.

According to WHO, consumption of sugary drinks, tobacco, and alcohol accounts for nearly 75 percent of all deaths worldwide, the majority of which are from heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Additionally, it is estimated that the taxes proposed in the initiative could prevent approximately 50 million premature deaths over the next 50 years.

Vietnam’s WHO Representative Dr. Angela Pratt states that taxes like these are instrumental in securing a healthy and prosperous future for younger generations, describing the current marketing tactics of tobacco companies as “manipulative”.

“We have seen this in Vietnam, especially for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, with flavours like watermelon, raspberry slush and lemon tart that mask the harshness of nicotine, and bright packaging that attracts youth,” Pratt said. “Tobacco tax is like a vaccine against the health harms of tobacco for young people – by stopping them from starting smoking, we are helping to protect them from the risks of tobacco use for life.”

Despite this, many countries around the world continue to provide tax exemptions and commercial incentives to tobacco and beverage industries. To combat this, WHO is bringing together policymakers, stakeholders, and its “powerful group of global partners” to collaborate on policies that could be used on an international level to reduce the consumption of harmful substances. Furthermore, they are working to raise awareness about the benefits of health taxes and empower healthcare systems worldwide.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Dr Susana Pombo addresses the WOAH General Session in May. Credit: WOAH/Maurine Tric

By Susana Pombo
LISBON, Jul 9 2025 (IPS)

Just five years on from the Covid-19 pandemic, another animal-borne disease is mutating and spreading across borders and species.

Avian influenza has already resulted in the loss of more than 630 million birds in the last 20 years. And new figures from the inaugural State of the World’s Animal Health report find that the number of reported outbreaks in mammals, including cattle, sheep and cats, doubled last year compared to 2023.

The risk of human infection with avian flu remains low. But the more species of mammals become infected, the greater the possibility of the virus adapting to mammal-to-mammal – and potentially human – transmission. And recent experience has shown exactly how devastating and disruptive a zoonotic pandemic can be for all aspects of life.

After the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted a new pandemic accord at the 78th World Health Assembly, the global community must remember that animal vaccines can be one of our most powerful tools for preventing zoonotic disease outbreaks, alongside other control measures.

At present, many countries are unable to include vaccination within their avian flu control strategies because of its impact on trade, livelihoods and food security. The difficulty of distinguishing a vaccinated bird with immunity from an infected bird means widespread vaccination can result in damaging trade barriers.

But controlling avian flu in poultry stops it from spreading to other animals and people, and vaccination can play a highly effective role alongside other measures when integrated carefully.

For example, the Toulouse Veterinary School modelled that France would experience up to 700 avian flu outbreaks in 2023. But, according to the French Chief Veterinary Officer, a nationwide campaign to vaccinate ducks meant the country only suffered 10 outbreaks.

Key to this was transparency and dialogue, with the French authorities consulting regularly with the scientific community via the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), veterinarians and researchers, local farmers and international trading partners.

For more countries to incorporate animal vaccination into avian flu control strategies and avert the risk of another pandemic, governments and agencies around the world must overcome a number of locally-specific barriers, which often hold back vaccination against other animal diseases.

First, governments must recognise animal health as an intrinsic part of global health and foster international cooperation for disease monitoring, data-sharing, early warning systems and harmonised vaccination approaches.

The more authorities know about how and where the disease is spreading, the greater the chance of containing it. And agreeing an approach to vaccination with trade partners to contain a specific outbreak, or to target wild animals as disease reservoirs, can limit the impact that disease control has on exports.

Secondly, the livestock sector would benefit enormously from the development and use of advanced diagnostic tools to differentiate between vaccinated and infected animals. Known as the DIVA principle, this will enable accurate disease tracking and trade transparency.

The ability to demonstrate that an animal is immune rather than infected would help overcome trade barriers to vaccination, but this requires greater public and private investment and collaboration.

Lastly, more investment is urgently needed for the use of vaccines as well as biosecurity measures, hygiene protocols and other disease prevention measures. Veterinary professionals need ongoing education and field training, in addition to the appropriate infrastructure, to ensure effective vaccine delivery and disease management at the grassroots level.

The return on investment from disease control spans both public and private sectors, supporting improved public health as well as agricultural productivity, trade and food security.

If Covid-19 taught the world anything, it is that global health is an interconnected system that includes animals of all kinds as well as environmental factors.

Tackling animal diseases through vaccination, biosecurity and other measures is as critical for animals as it is for people and pandemic prevention, and just like Covid-19, it needs global collaboration, innovation and investment.

Dr. Susana Pombo is President of the World Organisation for Animal Health’s Council

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