• The Quadripartite Collaboration on One Health released a new guide to support countries to strengthen their ‘One Health’ actions at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.

• The Guide is an operational addendum to the 2022 One Health Joint Plan of Action, signalling a strategic objective to country-focused implementation. 

• The guide outlines three pathways – governance, sectoral integration, and evidence and knowledge – and five steps to achieve ‘One Health’ implementation.

Four agencies unite for one mission

• In March 2022, the four international agencies — the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) — signed a groundbreaking agreement to form a new Quadripartite Collaboration for One Health. 

• The Quadripartite MoU provides a legal and formal framework for the four organisations to tackle the challenges at the human, animal, plant and ecosystem interface using a more integrated and coordinated approach. 

• This framework will also contribute to reinforce national and regional health systems and services.

What is One Health approach?

• Recent international health emergencies such as COVID-19 pandemic, mpox, Ebola outbreaks, and continued threats of 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 is seen as the main approach for tackling these pressing and complex challenges facing our society.

• Aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, One Health is a key part of keeping people healthy in the long term. It brings different sectors such as health, agriculture, education together to work towards common goals and make sure everyone’s health is covered.

• Although One Health is not a new concept, it is increasingly recognised as the optimal approach to promote health and well-being. 

• It recognises the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent. 

• The approach mobilises multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, taking action on climate change, and contributing to sustainable development.

• The One Health approach is critical to addressing health threats in the human–animal–plant–environment interface.

• One Health Joint Plan of Action outlines six action tracks for addressing key health challenges at the human–animal–plant–environment interface that can serve as focus areas for national One Health implementation. 

The action tracks are summarised as follows:

• Action track 1: Enhancing One Health capacities to strengthen health systems.

• Action track 2: Reducing the risks from emerging and re-emerging zoonotic epidemics and pandemics.

• Action track 3: Controlling and eliminating zoonotic, neglected tropical and vectorborne diseases.

• Action track 4: Strengthening the assessment, management and communication of food safety risks.

• Action track 5: Curbing the silent pandemic of anti-microbial resistance (AMR).

• Action track 6: Integrating the environment into One Health.

Why One Health is important?

• The way land is used can impact the number of malaria cases. Weather patterns and human-built water controls can affect diseases like dengue. Trade in live, wild animals can increase the likelihood of infectious diseases jumping over to people (called disease spillover).

• The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the need for a global framework for improved surveillance and a more holistic, integrated system. Gaps in One Health knowledge, prevention and integrated approaches were seen as key drivers of the pandemic. 

• By addressing the linkages between human, animal and environmental health, One Health is seen as a transformative approach to improved global health. 

• According to the World Bank, the expected benefit of One Health to the global community was estimated in 2022 to be at least $37 billion per year. The estimated annual need for expenditure on prevention is less than 10 per cent of these benefits.

• Since 2003, the world has seen over 15 million human deaths and $4 trillion in economic losses due to disease and pandemics, as well as immense losses from food and water safety hazards, which are One Health related health threats.  

• Collaboration across sectors and disciplines through a One Health approach is a vital solution for addressing the complex health challenges facing our society. 

• To prevent, detect and respond to emerging health challenges, all relevant sectors must collaborate in an integrated manner to achieve together what no sector can achieve alone.

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