World Leaders Unveil New One Health Actions to Prevent Future Health Crises

On World Health Day, world leaders met in France for a historic “One Health Summit,” where the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners announced a set of concrete steps to better protect people, animals, and the planet from future health emergencies.

France hosted the Summit, which marks a major shift in turning the One Health approach—the idea that human health, animal health, and the environment are all linked—into real-world programs. This year’s World Health Day theme, “Together for health. Stand with science,” set the stage for these announcements.

The need for action is urgent. Climate change, pollution, unsafe food and water, loss of biodiversity, and unequal access to healthcare are among the biggest challenges facing the world today. About 60% of known infectious diseases in humans come from animals, and roughly 75% of new infectious diseases are zoonotic (spread from animals to people). The COVID-19 pandemic alone caused an estimated 15 million deaths and trillions of dollars in economic losses worldwide in 2020 and 2021.

To stop the next crisis before it starts, WHO and global partners are strengthening the One Health approach. This means bringing together experts from health, farming, environment, and science to spot risks earlier and respond faster.

“The health of people, animals and the environment we share are inextricably interwoven, and we cannot protect one without protecting all three,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The One Health approach brings together expertise to work across silos and sectors to prevent and respond to threats more effectively. WHO thanks France for hosting this Summit, and we remain committed to working with partners and countries to turn commitment into action and accelerate global progress for humans, animals and our planet.”

As host, France showed its leadership and commitment to advancing One Health by championing global cooperation, scientific partnerships, and practical solutions.

“One Health is not just about protecting health, it is about recognizing that we live as one system, where the well-being of humans, animals, and the environment is inseparable,” said Emmanuel Macron, President of France. “France is determined to move One Health from ambition to implementation, working with the World Health Organization and our global partners to prevent the next crisis before it begins. Science must guide our action, and cooperation must be our strength.”

The Summit brought together heads of state, ministers, experts, and policymakers. It showed how coordinated efforts can strengthen international talks and bring together public and private partners for a common goal. The outcomes will guide ongoing discussions—including at the G7—about preparing for and responding to health threats at the meeting point of humans, animals, and ecosystems.

WHO announces four major One Health actions

Joining with global partners, WHO outlined these specific steps:

1. A new global network of institutions on One Health

WHO plans to launch a new Global Network of One Health Institutions. This network will help deliver the goals of the One Health Joint Plan of Action, and WHO will invite the Quadripartite partners to join. The initiative is designed to bring together experts from many fields and provide stronger, more coordinated support to countries. It will help turn global guidance into practical tools and on-the-ground support, strengthen training and peer learning through the WHO Academy and other institutions, and create a clearer, country-focused model for putting One Health into action.

2. Stronger science to guide global action

WHO and Quadripartite partners announced they will extend and expand the One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP), the world’s top scientific advisory group on One Health. Its mandate will now run through 2027, with a new phase planned for 2027 to 2029. This will strengthen its role in three priority areas: shaping the global research agenda, supporting the One Health Joint Plan of Action, and driving high-level advocacy based on science and evidence.

3. A new push to eliminate rabies by 2030

WHO, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the Institut Pasteur launched a renewed global effort to end dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030. Rabies still kills nearly 60,000 people each year, many of them children. Led by countries where the disease is common, this initiative will boost political commitment and community-based surveillance and research. It will use rabies elimination as a model to strengthen broader One Health surveillance and preparedness systems.

4. A unified strategy to tackle avian influenza threats

WHO and Quadripartite partners presented a new Strategic Framework for Collaboration on avian influenza. The framework improves coordination on surveillance, risk assessment, preparedness, and response. It helps countries move from separate, piecemeal actions to a unified One Health strategy, addressing the wider impacts of bird flu on public health, food security, livelihoods, and biodiversity.

WHO to lead global One Health coordination

WHO is also taking over the Chairmanship of the Quadripartite collaboration. This means it will take a stronger leadership role in coordinating global action alongside the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Under WHO’s leadership, the Quadripartite partnership will focus on delivering measurable results at the country level, streamlining management, and aligning efforts around a set of high-impact priorities. It will also strengthen advocacy, standard-setting, and evidence gathering.

Global Forum of Collaborating Centres opens

Alongside the Summit, WHO is holding its first Global Forum of WHO Collaborating Centres (CCs), from April 7 to 9. The Forum brings together high-level representatives, including the Minister of Health of France and ministers from Germany, Indonesia, and South Africa, along with more than 800 WHO CCs from over 80 countries.

The Global Forum will serve as a forward-looking platform to deepen collaboration among top academic and research institutions worldwide. It aims to speed up scientific innovation, data sharing, coordinated research, and capacity-building.

Both the One Health Summit and the Global Forum of WHO Collaborating Centres send a clear message: tackling today’s complex health challenges requires stronger global cooperation, more investment in science, and steady efforts to turn the One Health approach into concrete action at both global and local levels.