Afghanistan and Uzbekistan Advance Implementation of Joint Food and Drug Cooperation Action Plan

The Deputy Minister of Public Health for Food and Drugs, Mawlawi Hamdullah Zahid, met with Mirzohid Qodirov, Deputy Director of Uzbekistan’s Agency for the Development of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Industry, along with a technical delegation.

The participants discussed the implementation of the action plan under the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Public Health’s Afghanistan Food and Drug Authority (AFDA), the Agency for the Development of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry of Uzbekistan, and the Center for Pharmaceutical Products Safety (CPPS) of Uzbekistan, and exchanged views on it's implementation.

Both sides emphasized the need to accelerate the implementation of all provisions of the action plan, strengthen technical cooperation, share expertise, and enhance professional capacities. They also held detailed discussions on assessing the quality control laboratory for food, medicines, and health products; identifying its technical needs; strengthening the capacity of laboratory staff; and facilitating cooperation to expand laboratory equipment and services.

The Deputy Minister, while expressing appreciation for Uzbekistan’s cooperation and commitment, emphasized that the effective implementation of the action plan would be an important step toward improving the quality of regulatory services, strengthening technical capacities, developing laboratory infrastructure, enhancing quality control systems, and further expanding bilateral cooperation between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Uzbek delegation reaffirmed its commitment to continued comprehensive cooperation with the Food and Drug Authority and emphasized the full implementation of all provisions of the agreement.