Joint Declaration reinforces commitment to the One Health approach in the Americas

The Quadripartite Alliance—comprising the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)—together with regional partners including the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Regional International Organization for Plant and Animal Health (OIRSA), announced the signing of a Joint Declaration to strengthen regional coordination under the One Health approach in the Americas, marking the first regional agreement of its kind.

The Declaration calls for coordinated action to address health threats such as zoonotic diseases, food safety risks, and the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, ecosystem degradation and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The Declaration recognizes the Americas’ long-standing tradition of intersectoral cooperation in public health, animal health, agriculture and the environment. At the same time, it acknowledges the need to further strengthen coordination among international organizations, governments, academia, civil society and the private sector to respond effectively to current and future challenges.

The Joint Declaration calls on organizations, networks and stakeholders across the region to strengthen information-sharing and regional collaboration in support of Member States’ efforts to prioritize and implement One Health activities. This includes enhanced coordination, intersectoral collaboration and public-private partnerships in the areas of governance, legislation, institutional development, capacity building, and the exchange of data, evidence and knowledge.

Through this Declaration, the participating organizations reaffirm their commitment to promoting coordinated responses to health threats that transcend sectors and borders, contributing to the protection of the health of people, animals and ecosystems across the Americas.