1. The Guide to implementing the One Health Joint Plan of Action (OH JPA) at national level provides practical guidance on how countries can adopt and adapt the OH JPA to strengthen and support national One Health action.

2. The Guide provides a basis for the sustainable implementation of a One Health approach at country level. While it does not focus on any particular technical area, it seeks to support countries in building and strengthening the necessary mechanisms and enabling factors for successful implementation for long-term sustainability.

3. When addressed holistically, the actions presented in the OH JPA and this accompanying Guide aim to inspire greater and more targeted One Health action at every level, enhancing capacities and capabilities to prevent and mitigate risks and threats, with the ultimate aim of promoting well-being and health more sustainably for a thriving planet.

The Guide can be used by all countries regardless of their national status with respect to One Health implementation. National authorities are encouraged to review the components of all steps, and to assess areas where existing national One Health mechanisms, strategies and activities can be strengthened and better aligned with the OH JPA. This will help countries identify a starting point for using the Guide to strengthen, integrate and develop activities for the implementation of One Health using the stepwise approach described in this Guide. The recommendations made are not meant to replace, interrupt or render redundant ongoing One Health mechanisms, strategies and activities.

This Guide was developed through a participatory process, led by the Quadripartite organizations – the FAO, UNEP, WHO and the WOAH – involving staff engaged in One Health across the headquarters and regional levels of the four organizations. It reflects inputs from multisectoral consultations including from the One Health High-Level Expert Panel and countries with the purpose of establishing and strengthening efforts towards a sustainable One Health approach at national level.

1. Building on the OH JPA, the Quadripartite have developed an Implementation Guide to provide countries with guidance on how to adopt and adapt the OH JPA through the three pathways of its theory of change:

• Pathway 1 – Governance, policy, legislation, financing, and advocacy
• Pathway 2 – Organizational & institutional development, implementation, and sectoral integration
• Pathway 3 – Data, evidence, information systems, and knowledge exchange

2. The stepwise approach includes :

• 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.

3.Countries are encouraged to design and institutionalize national One Health action plans featuring the activities prioritized by pathway and stakeholder group that link to action tracks featured in the OH JPA and existing relevant national action plans.