FAO and the One Health Approach

Abstract

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nation’s view on One Health is broad as it extends from human, animal—domestic and wildlife—and environmental health. Though the nidus of work originated within FAO’s animal health service of the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department, it is clearly an area of work that would include other departments such as Natural Resources Management and the Environment, Forestry, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Economic and Social Development, Legal Services, and communication. In terms of risk assessment and risk mitigation to health threats at the human–animal-ecosystem interface FAO works closely with its global partners, World Health Organisation and the World Organisation for animal health (the “Tripartite”). FAO’s animal health service sees its work in One Health as contributing to all eight Millennium Development Goals, recognising the importance of animal health to human health, food safety, nutrition and food security, ameliorating poverty and hunger, natural resource management and partnerships. Some examples of FAO’s operationalising One Health approaches or principles are introduced.