- For the first time, a face-to-face meeting was held to present the objectives of One Health.
- It is a quadripartite strategy made up of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organization World Animal Health (WOAH).
- Through union and mutual work, it is planned to achieve results that each one could not individually.
Health-related problems have existed since the beginning of humanity, although during the last decades they have received notoriety. Although what is truly important is to know the solution options for each of the adversities. This is one of the greatest challenges today and was one of the reasons that gave rise to the strategy known as OneHealth.
Recent global health problems
Among the most recent international health emergencies are the COVID-19 pandemic, MPOX and Ebola outbreaks. Also the continuing threats of other zoonotic diseases, food safety and the challenges of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
For their part, the degradation of ecosystems and climate change clearly demonstrate the need for resilient health systems. All of the above gave rise to OneHealthwhich is considered a major approach to address these pressing and complex challenges facing our society.
With this in mind, the World Health Organization (WHO) held its first annual face-to-face meeting. During the meeting the heads of the quadripartite organizations issued an unprecedented call for enhanced global action.
today, @andersen_ingerQU Dongyu @FAODGMonique Eloit @WOAH_DG and I co-signed a call to action for all countries to enhance collaboration and commitment to translate the #OneHealth approach into policy action. https://t.co/nU15Iec6KS pic.twitter.com/UDmDlT9dSV
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) March 27, 2023
In this case, the quadripartite aims to achieve together what no sector can achieve alone. It also 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).
Main objectives of the global strategy
As part of this meeting, it was emphasized that the strategy One Health has 7 priority objectives and they are as follows.
- Prioritize One Health on the international political agenda, increase understanding and advocate for the adoption and promotion of improved intersectoral health governance. The approach should in particular serve as a guiding principle in global mechanisms, including in the new pandemic instrument and the pandemic fund to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
- Strengthen national health-focused policies, strategies and plans costed and prioritized in accordance with the Joint Quadripartite Action Plan to encourage broader implementation in all relevant sectors and at all levels.
- Accelerate the implementation of One Health plans, including support to national governance and multisectoral coordination mechanisms, development of situation analysis, stakeholder mapping, priority setting and metrics for monitoring frameworks and assessment.
- Create intersectoral workforces 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 workforces human, animal and environmental health.
- Strengthen and maintain the prevention of pandemics and health threats at their source, focusing on activities and places that increase the risk of zoonotic contagion between animals and humans.
- Encourage and strengthen scientific knowledge and the creation and exchange of One Health evidence, research and development, technology transfer and the exchange and integration of information and data and facilitate access to new tools and technologies.
- Increase investment in and funding of One Health strategies and plans by ensuring expanded implementation at all levels, including funding for the prevention of health threats at source.
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