The Nepal Weekly 
December 5, 2023
USAID (US Agency for International Development) and Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population on Sunday jointly launched USAID’s Global Health Security program, a strategic partnership to strengthen the Government of Nepal’s capacity to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to emerging infectious diseases. This program will be implemented through “One Health,” a collaborative, trans-disciplinary approach that recognizes the interdependence among the health of ecosystems, wildlife and domestic animals, and humans, according to a US Embassy, Kathmandu press release. “This partnership will advance U.S. efforts to strengthen technical capacities in 50 countries by 2025 as part of the Biden Administration’s goal to strengthen health security and pandemic preparedness globally.”
“USAID’s Global Health Security work is helping to fill the gap created by the recent Covid 19 pandemic, by strengthening countries’ capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to disease threats before they can become a pandemic, while advancing WHO International Health Regulations targets so that countries can address gaps and priorities at the national level,” reads the press release.
Through Global Health Security in Nepal, USAID will fund the Ministry of Health and Population to strengthen the One Health platform and surveillance systems. USAID will also work through the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“Through FAO, USAID will support strengthening AMR surveillance in animal health; strengthening of zoonotic disease surveillance; and improving biosafety and biosecurity in Nepal. In total, USAID will provide up to $6.75 million for these efforts over the next three years, subject to availability of funds.”
“This program marks a significant step forward in ensuring the health and security of the Nepali population and reflects USAID’s ongoing commitment to global health and pandemic preparedness,” remarked Michael Schiffer, USAID Asia’s senior official.
