FAO Director-General calls for accelerated action on One Health agenda

Lyon, France - The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu called for accelerated action to advance the One Health agenda, warning that persistent capacity gaps and insufficient sustainable financing continue to undermine progress.

Qu delivered opening remarks at the fourth executive meeting of the Quadripartite - an agreement between FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), designed to strengthen cooperation to sustainably balance and optimize the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment.

The agreement is underpinned by the One Health approach that seeks to mobilize multiple sectors, disciplines and communities to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food.

In his address to the meeting in Lyon, the FAO Director-General praised the partnership's essential work and the progress made in strengthening cooperation to implement the One Health Joint Plan of Action over recent years.

However, Qu noted that implementation remains uneven.

"This meeting is not only about taking stock - it is about accelerating action," Qu said. "We need to expand and scale One Health implementation at country and community level. We need to work collectively, bringing together our individual comparative advantages, in line with our connected yet distinct mandates."

To ensure that One Health is technically sound, economically compelling, inclusive, and politically persuasive, the Director-General stressed the need to strengthen the One Health Knowledge Nexus. He also called for enhanced communities of practice on governance, stronger evidence on return on investment, and expanded joint scientific initiatives.

FAO is advancing and promoting the One Health approach across agrifood systems and remains committed to supporting Members in transforming those systems. The objective is to make agrifood systems more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient, and more sustainable, contributing to the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life - leaving no one behind.

Chair Transition

As FAO prepares to hand over the chair of the Quadripartite to WHO, Qu outlined three priorities going forward: scaling implementation of the Joint Plan of Action at country level; mobilizing sustainable investment through a strong, evidence-based joint offer; and enhancing political visibility and advocacy to keep One Health high on the global agenda.

Speaking at a separate Chair Transition session, the Director-General highlighted FAO's efforts to move the Quadripartite from dialogue to delivery. Achievements during the FAO chair include strengthening the One Health Joint Plan of Action and promoting surveillance systems that track health risks across the biological continuum, rather than in isolation.

Qu concluded by thanking WHO, UNEP and WOAH for their dedication and collaborative efforts.

While in Lyon, the Director-General also attended a Strategic Panel Discussion on Progress, Challenges and Solutions, alongside the other leaders of the Quadripartite.