Cape Town, 31 March – In recognition of World Health Day observed on 07 April, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS is urging governments to finalise the Pandemic Agreement - the world’s first ever multilateral and legally binding agreement incorporating the One Health approach to pandemic prevention, preparedness and response - by May 2025 in time for the 78^th World Health Assembly. In its role as official relevant stakeholder and over the course of 13 Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB 13) sessions, the organisation has been actively engaged in shaping the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Pandemic Agreement. FOUR PAWS has been emphasising the need to acknowledge the interconnection between human, animal and environmental health and wellbeing for a holistic One Health approach in preventing the next pandemic and calling for an equitable, ambitious and funded international pandemic instrument.

FOUR PAWS' leadership in shaping global health policy for animal welfare, worldwide.

Drawing upon a multidisciplinary network of experts, insights gained over the three years of negotiations and decades of experience in other multilateral process, FOUR PAWS has supported Members States at the forefront of the ongoing negotiations, pushing for a Pandemic Agreement that integrates One Health as a cornerstone of pandemic prevention. As global leaders work towards finalising the Pandemic Agreement, the urgency to prioritise One Health in a balanced, effective and meaningful approach has never been clearer.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of global systems and reaffirmed the critical need to address zoonotic diseases at their source by improving animal health and welfare. The solution lies in embracing the One Health approach as defined by the One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP), a framework that recognises the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health aimed at promoting well-being. Central to this approach, but often underemphasized, is the role of animal welfare. As an organisation deeply committed to protecting animals and advocating for their welfare, FOUR PAWS continues to advocate for addressing the drivers of disease spillover at the human-animal-environment interface, thereby improving animal welfare. The current draft text of the instrument is already an important achievement as it incorporates the One Health approach for the very first time in an international and legally binding instrument and thereby acknowledging the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health.

The Pandemic Agreement will enable a groundbreaking transformative improvement to the way global health policy is designed and implemented by fostering multisectoral and multilateral collaboration and serve as a solid foundation for further shaping prevention measures through national One Health strategies and their implementation, thereby enabling equity and improving health and wellbeing across species, ecosystems and borders.  

Equity is another key pillar of the Pandemic Agreement; it is enabled by helping communities to transition away from high-risk practices, such as wildlife trade or intensive farming, by providing viable, sustainable livelihood alternatives that protect both their well-being and global health. Sustainable financial and technical support from the international community is essential to empower countries to implement pandemic prevention strategies effectively.  Resources and support must be directed to local communities, which are often the first to face outbreaks and at the same time key to prevent them. Economic disruption due to a disease outbreak, would exacerbate inequities affecting people’s rights as well as access to food, water, sanitation, health care, jobs and livelihoods disproportionately impacting those at the frontlines.  

In interventions made by FOUR PAWS Campaign Officer, Celiwe Shivambu in the 13^th INB session, on behalf of South Africa, she highlighted the long demonstrated leadership of African nations in the One Health approach that reflects our African values of ubuntu, resilience and respect for living beings but also called for the financial and technical support needed by Africa to scale up these efforts and the necessity of prevention being met with the reality of investment as meaningful progress requires adequate support.

The Pandemic Agreement is said to hold the potential to redefine global health policy for the next century, much like the Paris Agreement transformed global climate action. The agreement commits governments to following the One Health approach, which is rooted in multisectoral collaboration across all relevant sectors. The Pandemic Agreement would better protect human health and constitute a groundbreaking transformation in how health strategies are designed, so that interventions go beyond controlling the symptoms of a disease after an emergency and instead tackle the root causes before humans and animals suffer. Strong pandemic prevention measures enable equity and improve health and wellbeing across species, ecosystems and borders.

A Call to Action for World Health Day

This World Health Day, FOUR PAWS calls on Member States to finalise the Pandemic Agreement by May 2025 and reduce the risk of future pandemics and their social, health and economic consequences by addressing the root causes of zoonotic spillover. We are counting on them to successfully conclude the Pandemic Agreement so that efforts to achieve health for all – humans, animals and the environment - are mainstreamed and implemented and no one is left behind.

For more information visit our website at www.four-paws.org.za 

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