One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral and transdisciplinary approach that works at national, regional and global levels to achieve optimal health outcomes, recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants and their shared environment.
As a zoonotic disease, COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of focusing on the complex and intimate relationships between the health of people, animals and ecosystems. To address these relationships and prevent future pandemics, policymakers are focusing on collaborative, transdisciplinary One Health approaches that bring these fields together at local, national and global levels.
Building on 45 years of experience on animal health research in Africa and Asia, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) carries out One Health projects with national and international partners to prevent and control foodborne diseases, zoonoses, emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
ILRI will strengthen existing research collaborations and build new networks with national, regional and international One Health partners, taking advantage of its in-house research expertise and laboratory infrastructure.
The CGIAR Initiative on One Health, Protecting human health through a One Health approach, was launched in January 2022. The initiative is implemented by four CGIAR research centres — the International Food Policy Research Institute, the International Livestock Research Institute, the International Water Management Institute and WorldFish — in collaboration with Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire, EcoHealth Alliance and the University of Liverpool.
Photo credit: Girl walking past a mud hut with a Boran cow inside (ILRI/Stevie Mann)
