2021 Overview
In 2021, COVID-19 continues to underscore the relevance of the Commission’s work, the significance of the recalibrated understanding of the human-animal-environment interface that the Commission calls for, and the urgent need for the integrated approach to human, animal, and ecosystem health that the Commission is operationalizing. The present moment is one in which the scientific and political significance of One Health has increased tremendously; the Commission is now positioned among several ambitious undertakings geared towards One Health institutionalization, recommendations for financing and policy, and implementation guidelines; and the Commission is thus engaged in a process of alignment-oriented networking.
In April 2021, the Berlin Principles on One Health were also published. Co-authored by the Commission Co-chairs, Dr. John Amuasi and Professor Andrea S. Winkler, together with colleagues, the Berlin Principles seek to catalyze and guide systemic transformations to address global threats to humans, animals, and the environment. Most importantly, the Commission is immersed in an intense phase of report writing and editing. The report is at present drafted in full and undergoing an extensive commission-wide process of review and revision. The aim is to submit to The Lancet by the end of the year.
2020 Overview
In the context of COVID-19, The Lancet One Health Commission negotiated a few opportunities and challenges in 2020. Focus was directed towards engaging with the exigencies of the pandemic in relevant and timely ways. In April 2020, the Commission initiated its webinar series, One Health – Reconnecting for Our Future (recordings available - find below). Given the pressing need for scientifically informed conversations that connect the scientific community to policy makers, frontline clinicians, students, young professionals, and the wider public, these webinars engage experts from the Commission in raising One Health awareness, disseminating One Health expertise, and inviting a multi-directional dialogue that feeds back into the work of the Commission and its report.
In May 2020, the Commission was announced in the Lancet publication “Reconnecting for our Future: The Lancet One Health Commission." The Co-chairs of the Commission, Dr. John Amuasi and Professor Andrea S. Winkler also launched the COVID-19 One Health Research Coalition. Grounded in the guiding principles of the Commission, the COVID-19 One Health Research Coalition aims to galvanize interdisciplinary research at the human-animal-ecosystem interface and to engender knowledge and policies directed towards sustainability and health.
This coalition has been conceived as a powerful opportunity for the Commission to operationalize and implement the key messages that are evolving within the report, to stimulate and contribute to the research that is beyond the scope of the report, and to engage in a scientifically and politically instrumental capacity within the paradigm shift that COVID-19 invites.
In October 2020, the Commission Co-chairs Dr. John Amuasi and Professor Andrea S. Winkler chaired and participated in two sessions at the October 2020 World Health Summit: (1) “Pandemics and Operationalizing One Health: Working within the Framework of the Global Action Plan for SDG3” and (2) “Climate Change and One Health: Critical Action for a Sustainable Planet.”
2019 Overview
In May 2019, the Commission convened for the first time in Oslo. At that time, the Commission’s concept of improving human, animal, and ecosystem health through integrated approaches was established, the Commission objectives were drafted, and three working groups were created: (1) shared environment, (2) safe food and food systems, and (3) shared medicines and interventions.
During the remainder of 2019, the Commission participated in several high-level events and established a presence in key One Health arenas. In September 2019, the Commission participated in the Annual Meeting of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the 11th European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health, and the 10th Neglected Tropical Disease NGO Network Conference, all in Liverpool. In October 2019, several members of the Commission met again in Berlin for the “One Planet, One Health, One Future” event, during which the Berlin Principles on One Health were drafted, and for the World Health Summit.
At the World Health Summit, the Commission Co-Chairs, Dr. John Amuasi and Professor Andrea S. Winkler, chaired two sessions, which featured a few commissioners: “The SDG3 Global Action Plan for Health and Wellbeing: Are we ready for a Change in Mindset – One Health as an Accelerator” and “The One Health Concept: On a Consensus Seeking Mission”. A Commission management meeting was held in conjunction with these events, during which the Commission Co-Chairs, Secretariat, and working group leaders developed the Commission’s working and writing plans.
Forthcoming Activities
| September 2021 - |
The Lancet One Health Commission Report
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| September 2021 - |
The COVID-19 One Health Research Coalition The Co-chairs of The Lancet One Health Commission, Dr. John Amuasi and Professor Andrea S. Winkler, together with colleagues, launched the COVID-19 One Health Research Coalition via a Lancet Correspondence publication in May 2020. The aim of the COVID-19 One Health Research Coalition is to galvanize interdisciplinary research at the human-animal-ecosystem interface, in the interest of developing knowledge and policies directed towards sustainability and health. The coalition is conceived as a unique opportunity for The Lancet One Health Commission to operationalize and implement the key messages that are evolving within the report, to stimulate and contribute to the research that is beyond the scope of the report, and to engage in a scientifically and politically instrumental capacity within the paradigm shift that COVID-19 invites. A transnational and interdisciplinary coalition network is currently evolving and the concept statement is drafted. A plan for the organization of the Coalition and its initial funding has been established and its activities are expected to commence in full in early 2022. |
| October 24-26, 2021 |
World Health Summit 2021 The Lancet One Health Commission will, via the Co-Chair Dr. John Amuasi, participate in a One Health session at the 2021 World Health Summit. |
| November 3, 2021 |
“One Health in the 21st Century 2021” – 1st One Health Conference in Norway The Centre for Global Health at the University of Oslo, which hosts one of the three secretariats for The Lancet One Health Commission, will, on International One Health Day 2021 (November 3rd), host the first ever One Health conference in Norway. The aim of this conference is to assemble, unite, and mobilize the Norwegian One Health scientific and policy environment, to harness a One Health focus across national agendas and policies, and to ensure a cohesive national One Health platform for local, regional, national, and international One Health collaborations. This conference will feature members of The Lancet One Health Commission and is anticipated to pave the way for the Commission’s report launch in Norway. |
| To be determined |
The Lancet One Health Commission Launch and Conference Following the publication of The Lancet One Health Commission’s report, The Lancet One Health Commission will be launched at the University of Oslo’s Aula. The Co-chairs of The Lancet One Health Commission will present the key findings of the Commission’s work and report, and Richard Horton, the Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet, and other prestigious speakers will be featured. |
Webinars
The Lancet One Health Commission's webinar series, “One Health – Reconnecting for our Future,” addresses several topics of One Health importance, featuring experts from The Lancet One Health Commission. The aims are to raise One Health awareness, to disseminate One Health expertise, and to invite a multi-directional dialogue that feeds back into the Commission’s report.
Previous webinars with recordings:
| Webinar Title | Summary and recording |
|---|---|
| COVID-19: Rethinking Our Relationships with Wild Animals & Wild Places | Commission co-chair, Professor Andrea S. Winkler and expert Dr. Chris Walzer discussed how to create the conditions to minimize the risk for future pandemics. View here! |
| One Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic |
In this webinar, the Commission Co-chairs, Professor Andrea S. Winkler and Dr. John Amuasi, discussed One Health and its relevance for pandemics and health security. View here! |
| Pandemics of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Are We Always Forgetting a Piece of the Puzzle? | In this webinar, Commissioners Dr. Peter Daszak and Dr. Carlos Gonçalo das Neves reflected on the dynamics of pandemics and discussed prediction and prevention as integral to both One Health and health security. View here! |
| Developing a Career in One Health: Stories from the Next Generation | Dr. Renzo Guinto, Commissioner and the Commission’s Next Generation One Health Advisor, moderated a discussion among young professionals from key One Health initiatives, who reflected upon and shared their ideas for the future of One Health. View here! |
| Education and Capacity Building in One Health: Lessons from the Field | In this webinar, Dr. Renzo Guinto, Commissioner and the Commission’s Next Generation One Health Advisor, led panelists representing educational institutions, university networks, and student organizations to present their ongoing educational initiatives, examining challenges and opportunities in One Health capacity building and proposing solutions for the way forward. View here! |
| One Health Policy, Governance and the EID/NTD Interface | In this webinar, four Commissioners, Professor Helene Carabin, Dr. Bernadette Abela-Ridder, Professor Eric Fevre, and Dr. Anna Okello, discussed a number of policy and governance lessons from NTD programs. They identified some of the key knowledge gaps for future research and investment in order to better operationalize One Health into the future. View here! |
Funding & Support
The Lancet One Health Commission is funded by UiO: Life Science and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
The Commission is supported in-kind by the Centre for Global Health at UiO, the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and the Center for Global Health at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).