The CIC Joins in Supporting the New Definition of “One Health”

The CIC joins in supporting the new operational definition of “One Health,” which was recently welcomed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The new definition, which was put forward by the One Health High Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP), states that:

“One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognizes the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and inter-dependent. The approach mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, taking action on climate change, and contributing to sustainable development.”

The four aforementioned organisations will be working together “to mainstream One Health so that they are better prepared to prevent, predict, detect, and respond to global health threats and promote sustainable development.”

We would like to congratulate the OHHLEP, FAO, OIE, UNEP and the WHO for coming together on this new initiative. Hunters and others that sustainably use natural resources recognise that human, animal, plant and ecosystem health are deeply intertwined, which means that supporting these issues requires a unified, multi-faceted approach.