Event highlights
On 9 September 2026, the WHO Regional Office for Europe, under the Pandemic Fund-supported multicountry project on pandemic preparedness and response through the One Health approach in Central Asia, conducted Exercise CARAVAN 2026, a subregional One Health functional simulation exercise bringing together representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The exercise tested multisectoral coordination, cross-border communication and information sharing during a simulated emerging zoonotic disease event with regional implications. Participants from the human health, animal health and environmental sectors worked together throughout the exercise to assess evolving information, coordinate national response action and exchange information with neighbouring countries and WHO.
Strengthening preparedness before emergencies occur
Emerging zoonotic diseases continue to pose a significant risk to health security, particularly in regions where people, animals and the environment are closely interconnected. Effective preparedness depends not only on technical capacities, but also on strong coordination mechanisms and established communication channels across sectors and borders.
Simulation exercises provide countries with an opportunity to test existing plans, validate coordination arrangements and identify opportunities for improvement before a real emergency occurs.
Exercise CARAVAN 2026 was designed around a fictional outbreak caused by a novel Orthobunyavirus, challenging participating countries to apply the One Health approach under conditions of uncertainty while coordinating nationally and regionally.
A regional effort
Throughout the 4-hour functional exercise, participating countries responded from their national public health emergency operations centres and other designated coordination facilities, while the Exercise Management Team coordinated the exercise from the Exercise Control (ExCon) cell in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Countries tested national coordination mechanisms, conducted joint risk assessments, initiated bilateral communication with neighbouring countries, suggested mitigation measures, exchanged information with WHO through national focal points designated under the International Health Regulations (IHR), and developed coordinated response measures across sectors.
“Preparedness cannot be demonstrated through plans and documents alone. Simulation exercises provide a safe and practical environment to test response systems including coordination mechanisms, communication processes and decision-making before they are needed during a real emergency,” said Dr Ihor Perehinets, WHO Health Security and Regional Emergency Director.
“Exercise CARAVAN 2026 demonstrated the value of bringing countries and sectors together under the One Health approach to strengthen regional collaboration, enhance cross-border and cross-sector coordination, and improve collective preparedness for emerging zoonotic threats that no country can address alone,” emphasized Rustamjon Ikromov, Head of the Department at the Sanitary-Epidemiological Committee, National IHR Focal Point for Uzbekistan.
Adding his perspective, Nurtugan Yerubaev, Head of the Department of Coordination of Sanitary Protection at the State Border at the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, explained: “Functional exercises such as CARAVAN are more than an opportunity to practice responding to an outbreak. They enable countries to test how prepared their systems are to respond together, how quickly authorities across sectors can exchange information, conduct joint risk assessments and coordinate action when a health threat emerges”.
“The exercise provided an opportunity not only to test national procedures, but also to strengthen relationships and establish practical channels for collaboration between neighbouring countries before a real cross-border public health event occurs,” said Navruz Jafarov, Deputy Head of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance Service of the Republic of Tajikistan.
Looking ahead
The lessons identified during Exercise CARAVAN 2026 will inform future preparedness activities under the Pandemic Fund-supported project and contribute to strengthening One Health capacities, multisectoral collaboration and regional health security across Central Asia.
WHO will continue to support Member States through simulation exercises, technical cooperation and capacity-building initiatives to strengthen prevention, preparedness and response to health emergencies.
Event notice
Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases continue to pose a significant threat to public health, livelihoods and economic stability worldwide. More than 60% of emerging infectious diseases that are reported globally come from animals, both wild and domestic, highlighting the importance of effective collaboration across human health, animal health and environmental sectors. Recent outbreaks have demonstrated that zoonotic diseases can spread rapidly across borders, requiring timely information-sharing, joint risk assessment and coordinated response efforts among multiple sectors and countries.
Central Asia is characterized by extensive cross-border movement of people, animals and goods, as well as shared ecosystems and natural resources. These factors create opportunities for the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases and other health threats that may affect multiple countries simultaneously. Strengthening collaboration and coordination among relevant sectors is therefore essential for the effective prevention and detection of and response to public health events at the human-animal-environment interface.
Exercise CARAVAN 2026 is organized under the Pandemic Fund-supported multicountry project and will provide a platform for countries in Central Asia to test and strengthen cross-border coordination, communication and information-sharing mechanisms for the management of emerging zoonotic threats. Through a realistic and evolving scenario, the exercise will support participating countries in enhancing operational readiness and advancing the implementation of the One Health approach.
Its objectives are to:
- assess the effectiveness of multisectoral coordination for the management of zoonotic disease events;
- test how human health, animal health, environmental, emergency management and other relevant sectors collaborate, share information and coordinate decision-making in response to an evolving zoonotic threat;
- test national and cross-border information-sharing and communication processes during a public health event with regional implications;
- test the ability of participating countries to exchange timely and accurate information with relevant national authorities, neighbouring countries and international partners using established communication channels and procedures; and
- review the application of national procedures for risk assessment, response and decision-making during an emerging zoonotic disease event.
The geographic scope includes countries in Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Exercise format
Exercise CARAVAN 2026 is a functional exercise in which National International Health Regulations Focal Points (NFPs), working in coordination with animal health, environmental and emergency management sectors, will perform the routine tasks and responsibilities associated with their roles in response to scenario-based injects provided by the Exercise Management Team from WHO/Europe.
Participants will not be required to travel and will engage remotely from their usual workplaces or emergency coordination settings, operating under conditions that closely reflect their normal working environment.
The exercise will simulate real-time communication, event assessment, and information-sharing and coordination processes, including interaction with national stakeholders, neighbouring countries, WHO and other relevant partners. The exercise will last approximately 4 hours, followed by a 45-minute debriefing session.