Event highlights
“The interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health demands an integrated approach, now more urgent than ever given the challenges of emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change and biodiversity loss.”
These were the words of Dr Budimir Plavšić, the Regional Representative for Europe of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), as he opened the meeting of the Executive Group of the Regional One Health Coordination Mechanism (ROHCM). The meeting was aimed at discussing ways to strengthen the implementation of One Health in Europe.
One of the main highlights of the meeting was the transition of the ROHCM chairmanship from WOAH to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Under the chairmanship of WOAH in the last year, ROHCM promoted the visibility of One Health through regional and global engagements such as the One Health Seminar in Vienna and the 29th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change in Azerbaijan.
In his acceptance address, Dr Viorel Gutu, FAO Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, pledged to consolidate the gains made over the years by the Quadripartite and to further enhance the visibility of the One Health approach at all levels in the region.
“FAO will use the chairmanship to advocate and promote One Health at the country level, with a strong emphasis on collaboration among regional and national level institutions,” he said.
For his part, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge underscored the urgent need to accelerate the implementation of the One Health approach to address emerging diseases resulting from the connection between humans, animals and the environment.
“During this historic time, multilateralism is essential – no country, institution or leader can tackle the megatrends of climate change, ageing populations and chronic diseases alone. Our collaboration should be rooted in leadership, governance and partnerships,” said Dr Kluge. “At the same time, we are being called upon to do better with less by finding the synergies among us, avoiding fragmentation and duplication, and advancing a One Health agenda appears to be more imperative now than ever.”
Speaking on behalf of Dr Arnold Kreilhuber, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Director for Europe, Dr Veronika Hunt Šafránková, Head of UNEP’s Brussels Office, called for stronger efforts to break the silos in addressing health challenges, noting that fragmentation makes it impossible to prevent, prepare for and respond to potential threats affecting humans, animals and the environment.
The meeting was also an opportunity for the Executive Group to review ROHCM priorities for the next year, focusing on enhancing capacity to effectively support the region and its countries by:
- strengthening institutional and multisectoral coordination whilst increasing accountability;
- improving advocacy and awareness of the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health, as well as the economic impact of One Health;
- enhancing data collection and the link between data sets to better identify health risks, as well as expanding integrated systems for antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic diseases and environmental health data;
- strengthening One Health workforce development across the human, animal and environmental health sectors;
- addressing zoonotic diseases with a focus on controlling brucellosis, highly pathogenic avian influenza and vector-borne diseases, including through technical support for surveillance, risk assessment and response; and
- advocating for the integration of environmental drivers, including disseminating nature-based solutions to enhance resilience and integrate climate change, pollution, land use changes and biodiversity into health strategies.
In terms of partnership, the event highlighted the presence of high-level representatives from the European Union, Member States such as Azerbaijan and Georgia, and non-State actors like the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions. Emphasis was placed on strengthening collaboration to enhance the response to health risks that span multiple domains.
The event also provided a platform to announce a high-level One Health conference, co-hosted by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. The conference will take place on 5 and 6 November 2025 at UN City, under the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Event notice
The Executive Group of the Regional One Health Coordination Mechanism (ROHCM) for Europe will convene on 11 April 2025 at UN City in Copenhagen. This meeting will bring together the regional representatives and directors of the Quadripartite organizations and other partners to strategically align regional One Health efforts with global initiatives through leadership guidance. At the meeting, the chairmanship will be formally handed over from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), ensuring continued collaboration on One Health priorities in the region.
The objectives of the meeting include:
- highlighting key achievements in 2024 and reviewing the 2025 work plan;
- reinforcing the role of the Quadripartite and emphasizing the need to unify efforts in addressing health challenges at the human-animal-environment interface in the region;
- receiving updates from the ROHCM Technical Group and Regional One Health Partner Platform; and
- strengthening key partnerships, including with the European Union, to secure essential support for the One Health shared agenda.
The meeting will also emphasize the importance of promoting One Health in Europe and the commitment of all participating organizations and Member States to the One Health agenda. The meeting underscores the commitment to leverage strong partnerships and secure political and financial support to promote One Health across Europe.
About the ROHCM
The ROHCM for Europe is a collaborative framework established in April 2021 to address health challenges at the human-animal-environment interface. It consolidates cooperation between the regional representations of the FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), WHO and WOAH. The ROHCM aims to mainstream the One Health approach in Europe and Central Asia.