The Quadripartite Organizations – the Food ...and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE), and the World Health Organization (WHO) – collaborate to drive the change and transformation required to mitigate the impact of current and future health challenges at the human–animal– plant–environment interface at global, regional and country level. more

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global human, animal, plant and environment health threat that needs to be addressed by every country. The impacts of<.../span> AMR are wide-ranging in terms of human health, animal health, food security and safety, environmental effects on ecosystems and biodiversity, and socioeconomic development. Just like the climate crisis, AMR poses a significant threat to the delivery of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The response to the AMR crisis has been spearheaded through the global action plan on antimicrobial resistance (GAP-AMR), developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015, in close collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and formally endorsed by the three organizations’ governing bodies and by the Political Declaration of the high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on AMR in 2016. In 2022, the three organizations officially became the Quadripartite by welcoming the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) into the alliance “to accelerate coordination strategy on human, animal and ecosystem health”. The aim of the GAP-AMR is to ensure the continuity of successful treatment with effective and safe medicines. Its strategic objectives include: • improving the awareness and understanding of AMR; • strengthening the knowledge and evidence base through surveillance and research; • reducing the incidence of infection through effective sanitation, hygiene and infection prevention measures; optimizing the use of antimicrobial medicines in human and animal health; and • developing the economic case for sustainable investment that takes account of the needs of all countries and increasing investment in new medicines, diagnostic tools, vaccines and other interventions. With the adoption of the GAP-AMR, countries agreed to develop national action plans (NAPs) aligned with the GAP-AMR to mainstream AMR interventions nationally. Individually, the Quadripartite took action to advance AMR interventions in their respective sectors. FAO adopted a resolution on AMR recognizing that it poses an increasingly serious threat to public health and sustainable food production, and developed an AMR action plan to support the resolution’s implementation. For its part, WOAH developed a strategy on AMR aligned with the GAP-AMR, acknowledging the importance of a One Health approach to AMR. Similarly, more recently, UNEP’s governing body, the United Nations Environment Assembly, recognized that AMR is a current and increasing threat and a challenge to global health, food security and the sustainable development of all countries, and welcomed the GAP-AMR and the NAPs developed in accordance with its five overarching strategic objectives more

The One Health (OH) High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) of the Quadripartite ...-to-highlight medbox">Organizations defined OH as an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems.” It recognizes the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent [1]. The Tripartite which comprised the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) later became the Quadripartite organizations when the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) joined the OH alliance in 2022. There are Global and Regional Quadripartite Secretariats consisting of officials of headquarters and regional offices, respectively. Over the years, the Tripartite/Quadripartite organizations and other partner agencies have developed several OH assessment and operational tools to support Member States in assessing their core capacities to achieve compliance with the requirements of international standards such as the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR), WOAH’s Terrestrial and Aquatic Animal Health Codes, World Trade Organization’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (WTO-SPS), FAO/WHO Codex standards, etc. Technical areas that the existing tools currently support include progress monitoring, coordination and collaboration mechanisms, and capacity building for prevention, detection, preparedness, and response to health threats emerging at human-animal-environment interface. More OH B operational tools are in the pipeline. more

The guide to implementing the One Health Joint Plan of Action (OH JPA) at national level provides practical guidance on how countries can adopt ...an class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and adapt the OH JPA to strengthen and support national One Health action. Building on the OH JPA theory of change, this guide describes three pathways and five key steps to implement the OH JPA at national level: Pathway 1 -- Governance, policy, legislation, financing and advocacy Pathway 2 -- Organizational and institutional development, implementation and sectoral integration Pathway 3 -- Data, evidence, information systems and knowledge exchange. The stepwise approach comprises: Situation analysis including stakeholder mapping and review of existing assessment results Set-up/strengthening of a multisectoral, One Health coordination mechanism Planning for implementation, including activity prioritization and leveraging of resources Implementation of national One Health action plans Review, sharing and incorporation of lessons learned. more

An interdisciplinary approach to address global health challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, loss of biodiversity, human migration has been framed by ...ghlight medbox">the One Health approach. This approach is promoted at global level by the Tripartite of the World Health Organisation, the World Animal Health Organisation, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, recently joint by the United National Environment Program to form the Quadripartite. The German government through its Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development supports this approach with its One Health strategy and investment in several technical cooperation projects. more

The desired impact of the OH JPA is a world better able to prevent, predict, detect and respond... to health threats and improve the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment while contributing to sustainable development. The OH JPA aims to work towards this vision in the following way: • Provide a framework for action and propose a set of activities the four organizations can offer together to advance and sustainably scale up One Health. • Provide upstream policy and legislative advice and technical assistance, to help set national targets and priorities across the sectors for the development and implementation of One Health legislation, initiatives and programmes. • Take stock of existing cross-sectoral global and regional initiatives around One Health, identify and advise on synergies and overlaps, and support coordination. • Mobilize and make better use of resources across sectors, disciplines and stakeholders. • The OH JPA is guided by a theory of change and makes use of One Health principles to strengthen collaboration, communication, capacity building and coordination more

Forests, trees and green spaces, hereinafter ‘forests and trees’ for short, provide multiple goods and services that contribute to human health.... These include medicines, nutritious foods and other non-wood forest products (NWFPs). Globally, at least 3.5 billion people use NWFPs, including medicinal plants, which are particularly important for vulnerable groups and Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs). During periods of crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for forest products typically increases amongst these groups. Forests and trees also contribute to better health by playing a role in climate change mitigation and adaptation, contributing to regulating the carbon cycle, but also moderating the micro-climate, filtering pollutants from the air and protecting settlements against the effects of extreme events such as droughts and flash floods. more

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is described as a situation when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder or impossible to... treat, and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.1 AMR in recent years has become a global priority in public health due to its widespread consequences and increasing occurrence from time to time. AMR has a formidable impact where the existing antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective, and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat. more

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a leading cause of death in the African region, surpassing fatalities from malaria, HIV, and TB. In r...esponse to this critical threat, the region has adopted the AMR Global Action Plan and the African Union Framework for Antimicrobial Resistance Control 2020 – 2025, which is tailored to meet the specific needs of African nations through a coordinated approach. While most countries in the region have developed and prioritized National Action Plans (NAPs) to tackle AMR, the overall response remains inadequate given the magnitude of the threat, which endangers human, animal, environmental, aquatic, and plant health. Africa bears a significant burden of infectious diseases, accounting for approximately 95% of malaria deaths, 70% of people living with HIV, and 25% of TB deaths globally. In 2019, AMR was linked to approximately 55,000 deaths from HIV, 30,000 from malaria, and 255,000 overall. Major drivers of AMR in the region include the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in human and food systems, migration, suboptimal vaccination rates, and environmental contamination from hospital and pharmaceutical effluents. Additionally, there is a lack of access to quality-assured antimicrobials and diagnostics, compounded by inadequate knowledge about AMR. Unlike high-income countries, where indiscriminate antimicrobial use is the primary factor driving AMR, African countries face additional challenges, including a lack of access to clean and safe water, poor Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programs, inadequate infection prevention measures, and suboptimal vaccinations for preventable diseases. One in three hospitals in the region lacks clean, safe running water, and one in eight people defecate openly due to inadequate sanitation. Investments in WASH, infection prevention, and biosecurity could save approximately 700,000 lives annually. Addressing AMR in Africa requires a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach involving the entire society. Sustainable access to antimicrobials, including antibiotics, vaccines, and therapeutics, is crucial, as lack of access leads to more morbidity and mortality than AMR itself. Support for the region should focus on preventing infections, strengthening health and food systems, developing human resources, ensuring sustainable access to diagnostics and therapeutics, and investing in laboratory infrastructure to support surveillance and data generation. more

Public health emergencies, including pandemics, highlight the need for health systems and services that are prepared, resilient and ready to respon...d to health security threats. Endorsed by Member States in 2023, the Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework (‎APHSAF)‎ is designed to engage multisectoral actors in health security, and to reflect the complex nature of current and future public health emergencies. The Framework presents six interconnected, multisectoral domains of work that together form a comprehensive, multi-hazard health security system — emphasizing the One Health approach. The Framework also supports progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and universal health coverage while meeting the responsibilities and obligations of the International Health Regulations (‎2005)‎. more

There is growing international consensus that food systems transformation is important to address the challenges of malnutrition in all its forms, ...the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), environmental sustainability, increasing inequality and ensuring the welfare of workers and animals. In light of the urgency of these challenges, there are questions about the role of red and processed meat in healthy and sustainable food systems. Globally, production and consumption of all types of meat has increased substantially in the last 50 years, and – although red meat consumption is now plateauing in high-income countries (HICs) – is predicted to increase by a further 50% by 2050. Meat consumption remains highly unequal both between and within countries, and animal-source food intakes, including red meat, are lowest among those at most risk of undernutrition more

The Quadripartite organizations have developed the One Health Priority Research Agenda for AMR r...eport, this is a joint initiative to assist in directing and catalysing scientific interest and financial investments for the priority research agenda across sectors for countries and funding bodies. The research agenda also serves as a guide to mitigate One Health AMR that will help policymakers, researchers, and a multidisciplinary scientific community work together on solutions to prevent and mitigate AMR within the One Health approach. more

The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO), in accordance with recommendations from various WHO committees, has developed three flagship initiatives to support Member States... in the African region to prepare for, detect and respond to public health emergencies. They are the result of extensive consultations with more than 30 African government ministers, technical actors, and partners across the continent as well as regional institutions such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), whose contributions have shaped the priority activities. This report provides the fourth quarterly summary of progress in implementing the flagship initiatives. more

Issue Brief No. 29: Planetary Health is an interdisciplinary academic collective of many scientific disciplines. In addition to the fields of en...vironmental and social sciences, that of human health is one of many. Because of the many disciplines involved in this topic and the large number of resources available, we would like to share with you in this Issue Brief the most important documents related to Planetary Health. All of these documents and many more can be found in the Planetary Health Toolbox more

This report summarizes the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global work on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) during 2022. It describes how ...pan class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">the Organization continued to deliver its essential WASH programming as elaborated in its 2018–2025 strategy. more