Issued at the Third Quadripartite Executive Annual Meeting, 25–27 March 2025, WOAH headquarters, Paris

As global leaders in human, animal and environmental health, the Quadripartite collaboration comprising the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) reaffirms its unwavering commitment to advancing the One Health approach. This integrated approach is essential to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals, plants and ecosystems and to address health risks at the human-animal-environment interface. Meeting at WOAH headquarters in Paris for the Third Quadripartite Executive Annual Meeting, we call for urgent, strategic and sustained support and investments to scale up One Health implementation worldwide.

Advancing the One Health agenda

Since its establishment in March 2022, the Quadripartite has made significant progress in four strategic priority areas.

1. Implementation of the One Health Joint Plan of Action (OH JPA). Over the past year, the Quadripartite has strengthened cross-sectoral collaboration through regional and sub-regional One Health workshops in Europe, central Asia, and Pacific islands, leading to increased adoption of the OH JPA at the national level. Capacity-building efforts have expanded, with multiple country-level workshops focusing on workforce development, joint risk assessments and multisectoral coordination mechanisms. Additionally, key implementation tools have been translated into multiple languages, increasing their accessibility and adoption.
2. Strengthening One Health science and evidence. The second term of the Quadripartite One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) has been established, broadening its expertise to include social sciences, economics and governance. Key scientific deliverables will include mapping international legal and policy instruments that have a bearing on One Health and analysing barriers and enablers of One Health implementation. The Quadripartite One Health Knowledge Nexus serves as an interactive space for collective knowledge generation and co-learning. Under this platform, a joint Community of Practice was launched in November 2023 on the return on investment for One Health. A new community of practice on One Health governance is planned to be launched in 2025. In 2024, the Quadripartite contributed actively to the 8th World One Health Congress and several other international scientific fora to strengthen partnerships with the scientific community.
3. Enhancing political engagement and advocacy. The Quadripartite played a significant role in global political processes, advocating for the inclusion of One Health in major discussions and declarations. This includes supporting the adoption of a UN General Assembly political declaration on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and advocating for One Health integration in G20 health ministerial discussions and declarations. Additionally, the Quadripartite contributed to the adoption of a Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health at the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) and hosted a high-level One Health event at UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) to promote climate-health policy integration.
4. Mobilizing investments for One Health. The Quadripartite is developing a Joint Offer – a unified advocacy document for targeted One Health investments. This effort will be bolstered by structured outreach to funding partners through roundtable discussions and high-level dialogues. The Quadripartite continues to advocate for embedding One Health in existing financial mechanisms, and strengthening regional and national One Health investment planning to catalyse broader financial commitments, ensuring sustainable investments at national and global levels.

Investing in One Health now

The complexity of today’s health challenges – ranging from AMR and zoonotic diseases to food safety risks and climate-related health threats, amongst others – demands an integrated and well-resourced One Health response. Investing in One Health is not an option; it is an imperative. It is a strategic and cost-effective approach to preventing future health crises, reducing economic losses, strengthening global health security and promoting sustainable development.

The Quadripartite underscores that investing in One Health today is an investment in a safer, healthier and more resilient future. The world cannot afford to wait. We call on policymakers, donors and global leaders to act decisively, turning commitments into concrete actions and ensuring that One Health is effectively implemented, leaving no one behind.