Promoting Transdisciplinary Approach on World One Health Day in Liberia
(c) FAO
Monrovia – The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) played a key role in Liberia's commemoration of World One Health Day 2023, highlighting the paramount significance of a trans-disciplinary approach in addressing global health challenges.
The observance of World One Health Day 2023 in Liberia on 3 November emphasized the crucial importance of a collaborative and trans-disciplinary approach to address critical global health challenges.
World One Health Day 2023 in Liberia
The commemoration event, organized by the One Health Coordination Platform and its partners in a hybrid format, brought together government ministries and agencies, development partners, academia, and other stakeholders working across sectors at the nexus of human, animal, and environmental health. Representatives from the government included the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Fisheries & Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. It recognizes the intricate interconnections between human health, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment.. This year's theme for World One Health Day, "Connecting Air, Land, and Water," underscores the need for cross-sectoral collaboration to address the very nature of health challenges that transcend local, regional, and international boundaries.
“No one person, organization, or sector can address issues at the animal-human-environment interface alone. One Health collaboration allows us to have the biggest impact on improving health for people, animals, plants, and our environment,” said Ibrahim Gashash Ahmed, Country Team Leader of FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) in Liberia, speaking on behalf of Bintia Stephen Tchicaya, FAO Representative ad interim in Liberia.
One Health Approach to Liberia’s Health Challenges
The 2023 Joint External Evaluation (JEE) conducted in Liberia provided a comprehensive assessment of the country's health situation. It identified strengths, gaps, opportunities, and recommendations to improve the International Health Regulations (IHR) core capacities across 19 technical pillars. Liberia's readiness score, using JEE v3.0, was 43.9 percent, indicating the need to establish mechanisms for exchanging relevant information across One Health sectors and to implement multisectoral approaches for improvement.
With technical support from FAO’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), the One Health Coordinating Platform spearheads efforts to promote the One Health concept in Liberia, aligning with the global One Health agenda and moving beyond current provincial approaches. The focus encompasses addressing emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, environmental pollution, among others.
Serge Nzietchueng, FAO One Health Specialist, presenting key outcomes of the One Health Profiling for Liberia, emphasized the role of the innovative One Health Monitoring Tool (OHMT), developed with support of the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). This tool helped to identify gaps and facilitates informed solutions using a One Health approach, making the comprehensive One Health Country Profile available to all stakeholders. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Liberia on the other hand shared data and information on the status of selected water bodies in Liberia bringing to the fore the interconnectivity between public health and the environment.
During the celebration, the One Health platform Liberia launched its official website (https://onehealthliberia.org). The website hosts a range of One Health-related information, including the initiatives, success stories, news updates, research results. This will allow all the stakeholders to stay informed on key health issues, and promotes transparency, accountability, and collaboration across sectors, ensuring One Healthy approach being effectively implemented.
The shared knowledge and perspectives exchanged during the World One Health Day 2023 celebration in Liberia provide a solid foundation for ongoing collaboration at the intersections of human, animal, and environmental health issues in the country. The event also serves as a strong catalyst for furthering the One Health initiative through the trans-disciplinary network. Moving forward, it is essential for FAO to continue emphasizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health in our joint efforts to build a healthier and more resilient world for all.
Links
FAO: Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD)
FAO: One Health
One Health platform Liberia (Official Website)