FAO unveils country-led model to combat transboundary animal diseases

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) presented a blueprint for a new global approach to tackle transboundary animal diseases (TADs) on 24 July 2026 in Rome, according to a press release. The proposed Global Partnership Programme for Transboundary Animal Diseases (GPP-TAD) responds to Members’ request for a broader, country-led platform. It is a country-driven initiative in which prevention and control of prioritized diseases are strengthened through National Partnership Platforms. These platforms bring together governments, the private sector, producers, foundations, farmers’ organizations, and financial institutions. The programme addresses diseases that undermine livelihoods and trade and hit low- and middle-income countries the hardest.

At the 44th Session of FAO Conference in July 2025, Members recognized the critical importance of preventing, detecting, and responding to the spread of TADs. Since then, extensive consultations have been organized with Members at regional conferences and at FAO headquarters. The aim is to bring forth a renewed model of financing, partnership, and solidarity to tackle high-impact animal diseases. Currently, 110 countries have submitted official letters to the FAO Director-General expressing interest in joining GPP-TAD. Previous efforts relied primarily on donor-funded projects, with FAO serving as an implementing force.

Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, and New World screwworm demonstrate that TADs are spreading faster and further than before. According to FAO’s impact assessment, the recent introduction of the SAT1 serotype of foot-and-mouth disease into Asia could lead to $2 billion in annual losses. GPP-TAD reinforces capacity built over more than 20 years through FAO’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD). It introduces a new global governance architecture and a shift to diversified financing models. Regional hubs will coordinate cross-border action where animal diseases cause their greatest damage.

“We must ensure that the next chapter of global animal health is not defined by crisis, but by cooperation, responsibility and shared success,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said at a high-level event attended by ministers and high-level government representatives.

He stressed that prevention costs far less than inaction and that investing upstream through a One Health approach is the only way to avert crises downstream.

“We can no longer speak only of zoonotic diseases. We need a right interpretation of a One Health holistic approach which encompasses soil health, animal health, plant health, human health and environmental health,” he added.

The event included statements from agriculture ministers of Italy, Cameroon, Jordan, Mali, Mongolia, Nepal, Burkina Faso, Serbia, Kenya, Brazil, Indonesia, Kyrgyz Republic, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Egypt, and Papua New Guinea.

GPP-TAD will work across five mutually reinforcing areas, including prevention and progressive disease control, digital surveillance, preparedness, coordinated emergency response, and legislation and financing models. The financing model is diversified and solidarity-based, with all participating countries contributing according to capacity. It will be complemented by voluntary contributions from development partners and co-financing from international financial institutions and the private sector. A Steering Committee will be established to provide strategic guidance, with balanced representation across regions. Qu concluded by emphasizing that “healthy foods come from healthy soils, healthy plants and healthy animals for a healthy environment and a healthy life.”