Uzbekistan, IUCN Roll Out Nature4health Initiative Focused On Pandemic Risk Prevention

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 4. The Government of Uzbekistan, in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has officially launched the preparatory phase of the Nature4Health Uzbekistan initiative, advancing the primary prevention of future pandemics, Trend reports via the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change.

The launch marks Uzbekistan's formal participation in the second phase of the Nature4Health (N4H) program as a partner country and establishes a structured multilateral process aimed at strengthening the environmental dimension of the One Health approach.

The initiative is designed to address the growing scientific consensus that more than 70% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin and are increasingly linked to environmental degradation, land-use change, and rising human–wildlife interaction.

“Investment in nature is investment in public health, pandemic prevention, and sustainable development,” said Dr. Grethel Aguilar, Director General of IUCN. She noted that Uzbekistan could serve as a regional model for integrating nature, health, and sustainability policies.

The preparatory phase will focus on Karakalpakstan, a region heavily affected by desertification, biodiversity loss, and the long-term ecological consequences of the Aral Sea crisis. Officials said the region represents a critical area where environmental degradation is increasing risks at the interface of human, livestock, and wildlife systems.

Deputy Minister of Ecology Zhusipbek Kazbekov said Uzbekistan faces rising challenges including desertification, biodiversity loss, water scarcity driven by climate change, and expanding zones of human–wildlife interaction. He emphasized that addressing environmental drivers of disease is a matter of national security for arid and semi-arid countries.

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