USAID supports development of ASEAN counter wildlife trafficking policies focused on One Health and zoonotic disease prevention

USAID partners with ASEAN to counter wildlife trafficking and to prevent the next pandemic: The Covid-19 global pandemic has escalated the urgency for new cross-sectoral approaches to prevent future zoonotic disease outbreaks. During the ASEAN Working Group on CITES and Wildlife Enforcement 17th Annual Meeting on May 25, organizers presented delegates with a draft ASEAN strategy and policy brief, outlining ways to prevent future zoonotic disease outbreaks using a One Health approach. The two documents were developed through a multi-partner effort including USAID Reducing Demand for Wildlife, ASEAN-USAID Partnership for Regional Optimization within the Political-Security and Socio-Cultural Communities (PROSPECT) project;, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). At the request of the ASEAN Secretariat, USAID Reducing Demand for Wildlife is also developing a concept note for a regional communications strategy to raise awareness of the link between the illegal wildlife trade and zoonotic diseases. These documents are expected to be endorsed by the ASEAN Senior Officials on Forestry and ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry in 2023. USAID’s partnership with ASEAN is driving important policies towards prevention of zoonotic disease outbreaks framed around a One Health, multi-sectoral approach that includes people, domestic and wild animals, and the environment.