World Health Organisation INB12: A4AH appeals to member states to maintain momentum and reach a consensus on prevention and One Health in the Pandemic Agreement
As member states prepared to recommence negotiations on Articles 4 (prevention) and 5 (One Health) at the WHO this week, Action for Animal Health’s Esme Wheeler delivered two interventions to member states, appealing to parties to finalise a robust agreement with strong and enforceable obligations to address the root causes and drivers. Esme urged member states to remember that-
“The human-animal disease interface is a downstream consequence of our interactions with, and treatment of, both animals and the environment. Ecological degradation, commercial wildlife trade, and livestock farming are the key drivers of zoonotic spillover. If the pandemic agreement is to be truly preventative and not reactive then it must be embedded in a One Health approach that is holistic, multi-sectoral, and most importantly, gives equal attention to all constituent parts: animal, human, and environmental”
A4AH is urging member states to strengthen the existing text on One Health and Prevention and finalise an agreement that is equitable and outlines a clear path to implementation.
Read the statements in full here