As part of One Health Week, the World Health Organization (WHO) One Health Initiative is convening a webinar highlighting how a One Health approach can strengthen prevention and address health risks at the human–animal–environment interface. Prevention is a key priority in WHO’s global strategy, including through the Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW14), which highlights prevention, action on health determinants and response to climate-related health risks. Recent global health instruments, including the 2024 amendments to the International Health Regulations and the WHO Pandemic Agreement, further reinforce the importance of coordinated action across sectors for prevention, preparedness and response.
The webinar will showcase WHO’s technical work to advance prevention through a One Health approach, including efforts to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies, strengthen integrated surveillance and information-sharing across human, animal and environmental health, advance prevention of emerging and infectious disease risks, and address climate-related health risks through the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH).
Speakers will share practical examples of how multisectoral approaches can help identify and address risks at their source, support coordinated and cost-effective action, and deliver public health benefits. A moderated discussion will explore how these approaches work in practice, the conditions needed to sustain and scale them, and opportunities for continued collaboration across sectors.
Participants will:
- explore how a One Health approach can strengthen prevention and address health risks at their source;
- hear practical examples of multisectoral prevention, including rabies, integrated surveillance, emerging and infectious disease prevention, and climate and health action;
- learn about WHO’s technical work and support to Member States in advancing prevention through One Health;
- discuss the public health value of coordinated action across human, animal and environmental health; and
- identify opportunities for further collaboration and knowledge-sharing to strengthen and scale prevention efforts.
Speakers
- Dr Amina Benyahia, Head, One Health Initiative, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
- Dr Bernadette Abela, Scientist, WHO Vector-Borne, Disease Control, Elimination and Eradication across sectors (VCE), Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (MNT)
- Dr Elena Villalobos Prats, WHO Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH), Capacity Building and Country Support Lead, Climate Change and Health
- Alice Simniceanu, Epidemiologist, WHO Global COVID and Other Coronaviruses Programme, Global Respiratory Threats, Epidemic and Pandemic Management
- Dr Stacie Dunkle, Epidemiologist, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, Global Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence
The presentations will be followed by a moderated discussion with the speakers, focusing on how prevention through a One Health approach can be strengthened and applied across different contexts.
Moderator: Cheng Liang, Technical Officer, WHO Quadripartite Partnership Focal Point, One Health Initiative (OHI), Geneva, Switzerland