Quadripartite Alliance Calls For 'One Health' Approach To Make Planet A Safer Place WHO

Health systems must become more resilient to withstand international emergencies such as those recently caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, monkeypox, Ebola outbreaks and the ongoing threat of other zoological disease outbreaks and other issues such as antibiotic resistance, ecosystem degradation and climate change. The actions contained in the One Health approach must be promoted globally as it is the main way to address these urgent and complex challenges facing our societies.

At their first annual face-to-face meeting today, the leaders of the Quadripartite Alliance member organizations issued an unprecedented call to action to expand global implementation of the One Health approach.

The aim of the Quadripartite Alliance is to achieve together what no sector can achieve alone. For this reason, four organizations have agreed: the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organization for Animal Health (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

A call to action

The heads of the member organizations of the Quadripartite Alliance emphasize the need for increased cooperation and commitment in order to translate the One Health approach into political action in all countries. To this end, they call on all countries and key stakeholders to promote and implement the following priority actions:

Prioritize the “One Health” approach in the international political sphere, disseminate related issues and promote the adoption and promotion of more advanced intersectoral health governance. The One Health approach should be a guiding principle in global mechanisms, including the new Pandemic Agreement and the Pandemic Preparedness, Preparedness and Response Fund.

Strengthening One Health’s policies, strategies and plans, Budgeting and prioritization in line with the Quadripartite Alliance Joint Action Plan to encourage its wider adoption in relevant sectors and at all levels.

Promotion of the implementation plans of the “One Health” approach, for example by strengthening national mechanisms for multisectoral coordination and governance in this area, conducting situation analyses, mapping stakeholders, setting priorities and setting parameters for monitoring and evaluation frameworks for such an approach.

Promote the training of personnel in the sectors included in He One Health approach so that they have the skills, abilities and capacities to prevent, detect, control and respond to threats to health quickly and effectively. To this end, training programs for personnel working in the fields of human health, animal health and the environment should be encouraged, both before entering them and during their professional practice.

strengthening and maintaining systems to prevent health hazards at source, Focusing on activities and locations where the risk of zoonotic cross-contamination between animals and humans increases.

Encouraging and strengthening the gathering and sharing of evidence and scientific knowledge related to the “One Health” approach and research and development, technology transfer, and exchange and integration of data and information that facilitate access to new tools and technologies.

Increase investment and funding of the strategies and plans of the One Health approach to expand its application at all levels, in particular by funding the prevention of health threats at source.

Making the planet a healthier place requires urgent action to secure key policy commitments, increase investment and develop cross-sectoral collaboration at all levels.

The Quadripartite Alliance is instrumental in promoting and coordinating the One Health approach globally in line with the Joint Action Plan[1] launched in October 2022. To help countries and governments put the approach into practice, Quadripartite Alliance member organizations are preparing an implementation guide for the plan, which will be published in 2023.

Signer:

QU Dongyu, Director General of FAO

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

Monique Eloit, OMSA Director General

[1] https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240059139