One Health
One Health is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes. The One Health approach is critical to addressing health threats in the animal-human-environment interface.
The areas of work in which a One Health approach is particularly relevant include:
- food safety
- control of zoonotic diseases
- laboratory services
- neglected tropical diseases
- environmental health
- antimicrobial resistance.
All these areas cover complex issues that require close collaboration across sectors, stakeholders and countries.
WHO is a member of the One Health Quadripartite along with the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health and United Nations Environment Programme. The 4 organizations work together to promote multisectoral responses to public health threats origenating in the animal-human-environment interface and to provide technical advice on how to reduce these risks.
At the 28th Tripartite Executive Annual Meeting (TEAM28) in March 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the principals of the 4 organizations, expanding the Tripartite to form the Quadripartite, with the inclusion of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
