This year’s International One Health Day emphasizes the need to build the culture that is to bring a substantial change in addressing planetary health challenges.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO) in Ethiopia Recognizes International One Health Day, 2018

2 November 2018, Addis Ababa – FAO Ethiopia stands alongside other One Health actors to mark the 2018 International One Health Day by putting a spot light on the ongoing multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary collaboration of One Health partners.

This year’s celebration emphasizes on the need to build the culture that is to bring a substantial change in addressing planetary health challenges. The Day is also to call for a global attention for all One Health partners to strengthen their cooperation and collaboration and interpret same into practical action.

FAO’s Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) has been supporting multi-sectoral efforts in Ethiopia that enabled achieving closer coordination and collaboration at the human-livestock-wildlife-ecosystem interfaces.

“It is high time that the Ethiopian One Health partners work on a more interactive and practical approach towards the increasing demand of One Health programming,” said Dr Gijs van ‘t Klooster, Head of Livestock and Pastoralism Thematic Program for FAO Ethiopia.

FAO has been one of the prominent partners supporting the Government of Ethiopia, in its effort to mitigate the current and potential impacts of high impact emerging, re-emerging and priority endemic zoonotic diseases.

FAO initiated the development of the Memorandum of Understanding signed among sector ministries to provide a formal framework to work together and form the basis for the enactment of a legal mechanism regarding the control of zoonotic diseases and other public health threats that emanate from the interaction of the public-environment-animal triad. 

Correspondingly, FAO in collaboration with partners, has provided technical and financial support for the establishment of the government-led National One Health Steering Committee (NOHSC) in 2016, which is an overarching One Health coordination platform in Ethiopia. 

FAO has also been closely working with the NOHSC in their effort to put in place the National One Health Strategic Plan (2018 – 2022); and the establishment of multi-sectoral technical working groups that are formed to coordinate various One Health issues.  Over the course of the last one and half year, the FAO has been supporting these technical working groups technically and financially to develop the national multi-sectoral rabies and anthrax prevention and control strategic plans and the preparedness and response plan for highly pathogenic avian influenza. 

Additionally, FAO Ethiopia also partnered with the NOHSC and the Government Communication Affairs Office to initiate the establishment of a National One Health Communication Network which is playing a considerable role to enhance information sharing and networking among stakeholders and the community in order to benefit the health of people, wildlife, livestock and ecosystems in Ethiopia. 

At this fortune moment, FAO would like to call upon all One Health partners in Ethiopia to continue committing themselves to strengthened coordination and collaboration and to take practical actions to address global health challenges!

Contact: 

Feleseta Kassaye Woldtsadique, Risk Communication and One Health Outreach Coordinator

E-mail: [email protected], Tel. +251 911 651 083