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Identifying One Health priorities in Asia and the Pacific region

Thirty-sixth Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC36)

Year of publication 2022

Place of publication Bangkok, Thailand ;

Pages 16

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Meeting

Synopsis (short abstract) Human, animal, plant and environmental health are intimately connected through the ecological realities governing life. Our health depends on the health of the environment, which provides us, at a minimum, with the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink. With rapid population growth, as well as globalization and environmental degradation, health threats have become more complex. Solutions cannot be found by one sector alone. The problems affecting human health, terrestrial and aquatic animals, plants, and the environment can be effectively resolved only through improved coordination, communication and collaborative actions across disciplines and sectors, and that these are sustainable solutions. This has come to be called the One Health approach. To date, One Health has primarily engaged the public health sector and veterinary services and largely focused on addressing zoonotic diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, food safety, and an occasional focus on emerging infectious diseases. One Health has yet to properly engage the Ministries responsible for wildlife, biodiversity, ecosystems, natural resource management and the environment. One Health programming has yet to be applied to protecting or restoring biodiversity and ecosystems from anthropogenic drivers of degradation known to contribute to the emergence of zoonotic pathogens, and transmission of diseases among wildlife and livestock. It is these upstream interventions that are also needed to prevent spillover events and mitigate health threats. This paper provides an overview on One Health, technical areas where One Health is being applied, and current gaps in One Health programming. FAO has long-standing experience in supporting Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock and national veterinary services in the region.

Statutory body / Meeting title FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC)

Meeting symbol APRC/22/4

Meeting Session Number 36

Meeting date 8 - 11 March 2022

Meeting location Dhaka, Bangladesh

Language English

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    Investing in One Health – cross-sectoral, multidisciplinary coordination and collaboration across the human health, animal health, and environmental health sectors – is crucial for maintaining healthy agricultural and food systems and addressing global health security risks. Such action can reduce the threat of future pandemics through upstream preventive actions, early detection, and agile responses to zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases outbreaks, coupled with measures for promoting food safety, includinganti-microbial resistance. This regional review, conducted jointly by the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, assesses the socioeconomic impacts of zoonotic diseases and epidemics across the East Asia and Pacific region, providing a background on why emerging infectious diseases are occurring more frequently in this region. This review looks at the benefits of using a risk-based approach, assesses the management of animal and wildlife health and the ability to identify and respond to emerging threats and protect the health, agricultural production, and ecosystem services. It provides recommendations on priority activities to be undertaken, and offers governments and their development partners the evidence and analysis needed to make more and better investments in wildlife systems and animal health to improve global health security.
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    Investing in One Health – cross-sectoral, multidisciplinary coordination and collaboration across the human health, animal health, and environmental health sectors – is crucial for maintaining healthy agricultural and food systems and addressing global health security risks. Such action can reduce the threat of future pandemics through upstream preventive actions, early detection, and agile responses to zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases outbreaks, coupled with measures for promoting food safety, including anti-microbial resistance. This regional review, conducted jointly by the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, assesses the socioeconomic impacts of zoonotic diseases and epidemics across the East Asia and Pacific region, providing a background on why emerging infectious diseases are occurring more frequently in this region. This review looks at the benefits of using a risk-based approach, assesses the management of animal and wildlife health and the ability to identify and respond to emerging threats and protect the health, agricultural production, and ecosystem services. It provides recommendations on priority activities to be undertaken, and offers governments and their development partners the evidence and analysis needed to make more and better investments in wildlife systems and animal health to improve global health security.
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