In Lyon, FAO Director-General stresses importance of One Health approach

Lyon, France - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu highlighted the importance of an integrated One Health approach that sustainably balances and optimizes the health of people, plants, animals and ecosystems, during this week’s One Health summit in Lyon and in a series of related meetings held in the French city.

The Director-General started his visit by delivering remarks at a special event on the opening day of the summit, entitled “Youth Calls on the World: One Planet, One Health, One Generation in Action.”

Here, he announced three initiatives aimed at empowering young leaders in One Health: the FAO Global Conference for Actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems, featuring a Global Youth Forum in September; the World Food Forum in October, which will launch the first global youth-led platform on One Health in Agrifood Systems; and a partnership between FAO and Nanjing Agriculture University to sponsor the One Health Prize for Transformative Research Challenge.

The One Health Summit brought together heads of state and government, researchers and other stakeholders to advance a unified public health approach that recognizes the interconnections between humans, animals, plants and the environment. Discussions focused on key drivers of infectious and noncommunicable diseases, including zoonotic reservoirs and vectors, antimicrobial resistance, sustainable agrifood systems and exposure to pollutants.
In his intervention, the Director-General outlined three pillars for youth engagement: action through innovation, action through advocacy and awareness, and action through collaboration.

Science, Governance and Finance

During the summit, the Director-General also delivered closing remarks at a scientific panel, where he underscored the importance of translating scientific evidence into concrete policies, action and measurable impact on the ground. He highlighted the role of digital innovation and interoperability in addressing fragmented scientific evidence, noting FAO’s science-based normative tools supporting the transition to sustainable agrifood systems, including the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management and the Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Sustainable Use and Management of Plastics in Agriculture.

At a High-Level Segment “Scientific knowledge in the service of innovation and action: building One Health cooperation for a healthy and prosperous future,” the Director-General outlined forthcoming FAO initiatives to strengthen links between human, animal and plant health. These include the launch of the Global Partnership Programme for Transboundary Animal Diseases (GPP-TADs), which aims to enhance surveillance, preparedness and coordinated responses to transboundary animal diseases, thereby protecting agrifood systems, trade and rural livelihoods.

During his stay in France, the Director-General also held a number of bilateral meetings with key partners. In his meeting with the French Minister of Agriculture, Agri-Food, and Forestry, Annie Genevard, consensus was reached on scaling up collaborations in a wide range of areas, including transboundary animal diseases and resilience building. Discussions with Philippe Baptiste, France’s Minister for Higher Education and Research, focused on FAO data platforms, particularly those supporting early warning systems, as well as on potential areas for future collaboration.

Those meeting were capped by the renewal of the FAO-France Framework Agreement for 2026-2031, which will guide cooperation on sustainable and resilient agrifood systems, food security and nutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, land degradation, gender equality and decent work.

Additional bilateral were held with Spain's Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food,  Luis Planas Puchades, and with the Director-General of UNESCO, Khaled El-Enany, to whom he proposed the establishment of a partnership in the fields of science and museum development.

While in France, the Director-General also visited the Veterinary Campus of Lyon (VetAgro Sup), regarded as the world's first veterinary school, as well as the city's Botanic Garden, which features the highest greenhouse in France.

At VetAgro Sup, Qu Dongyu met with staff and the institution’s Director, Mireille Bossy, and visited the campus museum. He also held exchanges with students representing the school’s three main programmes, with discussions focusing on agrifood systems and environmental challenges. At the conclusion of the visit, the Director‑General suggested exploring cooperation between the school’s museums and the FAO Museum, as well as potential collaboration in training.

Quadripartite Meeting

On Wednesday, the final day of his visit, the Director-General attended the fourth executive meeting of the Quadripartite - an agreement between FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), designed to strengthen cooperation to sustainably balance and optimize the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment.

Here, he called for accelerated action to advance the One agenda, warning that persistent capacity gaps and insufficient sustainable financing continue to hamper progress.

As FAO prepares to hand over the chair of the Quadripartite to WHO, the Director-General outlined three priorities going forward: scaling implementation of the Joint Plan of Action at country level; mobilizing sustainable investment through a strong, evidence‑based joint offer; and enhancing political visibility and advocacy to keep One Health high on the global agenda.