Leaders call for scale-up in implementing One Health approach

 

Health experts say adopting a One Health approach that recognizes the health of people, offers promising solutions for addressing unprecedented challenges.

Speaking in Nairobi at the Second Quadripartite Executive Annual Meeting WHO’s Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the initiative seeks to improve the health of humans, animals, plants, and the environment, while contributing to sustainable development.

“There is need for sustained political will to ensure One Health principles are embedded in national and international policies. Implementation in countries; resource mobilization; science and evidence; and political will. These are the four priorities that we must pursue together in the year ahead,” observed Tedros.

Leaders of the four organizations of the Quadripartite collaboration on One Health, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Environment Programme, the World Health Organization, and the World Organisation for Animal Health, have been working together to advance the One Health approach worldwide.

In the meeting, the organizations reaffirmed their commitment to further enhance the plan’s policy impact and mobilize sustainable resources to support One Health implementation at all levels.

The one health joint plan of action launched in 2022 is designed to integrate systems and capacity to collectively better prevent, predict, detect, and respond to health threats.

According to WHO, the newly launched one health joint plan of action implementation is a cornerstone of the global efforts, providing practical guidance for translating One Health theory into action.

“The ultimate goal and value of our One Health collaboration lie in effecting positive changes at the country level,” said Dr Amina Benyahia, Head WHO One Health Initiative.

One Health is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes. The One Health approach is critical to addressing health threats in the animal-human-environment interface.

By Nicholas Kigondu