The document summarizes ICARDA's spring bread wheat improvement program for Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA). The program aims to develop germplasm with resistance to multiple rust diseases like stem, leaf and yellow rust through targeted crossing and shuttle breeding between sites with different disease pressures. Key achievements include transferring and mapping genes for slow rusting, such as Sr2, Lr34 and Yr18. Challenges include genetic vulnerability when popular varieties have narrow genetic bases, which is addressed through diversifying germplasm.