Recent international health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, mpox, Ebola outbreaks, and continuing threats from other zoonotic diseases, food safety, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) challenges, as well as ecosystem degradation and climate change clearly demonstrate the need for resilient health systems. and accelerated global action. One Health sees itself as the leading approach to addressing these pressing and complex challenges facing our society.
In their first annual face-to-face meeting today, the heads of the quadripartite organizations working on One Health issued an unprecedented call for enhanced global action.
The Quadripartite aims to achieve together what no sector can achieve alone, and consists of four main agencies: the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP ), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).
call to action
Highlighting the need for greater collaboration and commitment to translate the One Health approach into political action in all countries, the Quadripartite Leaders urge all countries and key stakeholders to advocate for and undertake the following priority actions:
- Prioritize One Health on the international political agenda, increase understanding and advocate for the adoption and promotion of improved intersectoral health governance. The One Health approach should in particular serve as a guiding principle in global mechanisms; include in the new pandemic instrument and pandemic fund to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response;
- Strengthen national One Health policies, strategies and plans, budgeted for and prioritized in accordance with the One Health Quadripartite Joint Action Plan (OH JPA), to encourage wider implementation across all relevant sectors and at all levels;
- Accelerate the implementation of One Health plans, including supporting One Health national governance and multisectoral coordination mechanisms, developing situation analysis, stakeholder mapping, priority setting and metrics for One Health monitoring and evaluation frameworks;
- Build cross-sector One Health task forces that have the skills, abilities, and capabilities to prevent, detect, control, and respond to health threats in a timely and effective manner, by strengthening joint pre-service and continuing education for the human, animal, and animal health workforce and environmental;
- Strengthen and maintain the prevention of pandemics and health threats at their sourcefocusing on activities and places that increase the risk of zoonotic contagion between animals and humans;
- Promote and strengthen scientific knowledge and the creation and exchange of One Health evidence, research and development, technology transfer and exchange and integration of information and data and facilitating access to new tools and technologies; and
- Increase investment and financing of One Health strategies and plans ensure expanded implementation at all levels, including funding for the prevention of health threats at source.
To build a healthier planet, we need urgent action to drive vital political commitments, increased investment and multi-sector collaboration at all levels.
The Quadripartite has played a central role in promoting and coordinating a global One Health approach, in line with the OH JPA[1] which was launched in October 2022. To further assist countries and governments in putting the One Health approach into practice, the quadripartite partners are developing an OH JPA implementation guide to be published in 2023.
Signed by:
QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO
Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, WHO
Monique Eloit, Managing Director, WOAH
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