One Planet Summit For Biodiversity Session 4: Protecting Tropical Forests, Species and Human Health

ONE PLANET SUMMIT FOR BIODIVERSITY

SESSION 4: PROTECTING TROPICAL FORESTS, SPECIES AND HUMAN HEALTH

ONE HEALTH SEGMENT

REMARKS BY FAO DIRECTOR-GENERAL, DR QU DONGYU

MONDAY 11 JANUARY 2021

As delivered

 

Excellencies, HE. President Macron, Chancellor Merkel,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. As governments are negotiating the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, FAO is committed to continue supporting the mainstreaming of biodiversity across agriculture and food sectors by Hand in Hand Initiative.

2. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the close links between human, animal and environmental health, in a context of increased human-livestock-wildlife contacts and ecosystems degradation.

3. FAO recognizes the importance of environmental sustainability as a key determinant of a long term “One Health for All”. We need to do more “all for one health”. FAO has been promoting international Bee Day for biodiversity.

4. FAO strongly supported the creation of the One Health High-level Expert Council tasked with collecting and disseminating information on this interconnection with context of biodiversity erosion.  

5. This must involve addressing inequalities in health, as there can be no health security if vulnerable in the rural area are left behind.

6. We have intensified work at the interface of One Health and Ecosystem restoration and therefore welcome the PREZODE (PREventing ZOonotic Diseases Emergence) programme.

7. PREZODE can count on FAO’s field work and experience globally: through our One Health “ECTAD” network of over 400 animal health experts working in 36 African and Asian countries, through our reference centres, and laboratory surveillance programme.

8. Together with the new PREZODIAC Initiative, we will provide over 100 million USD of support on zoonotic disease surveillance to over 100 national animal health laboratories in 2021-23.

9. Finally, we offer using the new Joint FAO/WHO (FAO/IAEA) Centers as support hub for science-policy dialogue, enabling the work of the High Level Expert Council on One Health to guide the science and the Centers to act as platform for better uptake of scientific outcomes for policy decisions.

10. The world needs “One Health for All by All for One Healthy Planet”!

11. Let’s do it historically, holistically, coherently and collectively!

Thank you.