FAO WHO WOAH Launch Joint One Health Learning Taskforce

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) jointly announce the establishment of the FAO/WHO/WOAH Joint One Health Learning Taskforce, a coordination mechanism dedicated to strengthening One Health workforce capacity in support of effective One Health implementation at global, regional, and national levels.

The Taskforce addresses the increasing necessity to equip the workforce in human, animal, plant, and environmental health with essential cross-disciplinary and profession-specific skills needed to prevent, predict, detect, and respond to complex health threats that arise at the intersection of these domains.

The Joint One Health Learning Taskforce adopts a competency-based, learner-centered approach, supporting the integration of One Health principles into formal education while providing lifelong learning opportunities that enable professionals to address current and emerging challenges.

Utilizing and linking the complementary strengths of the FAO eLearning Academy, the WHO Academy, and the WOAH Training Platform, the Taskforce builds on existing successful programs while fostering innovation, flexibility, and responsiveness to the needs of countries and regions. This approach translates One Health principles into practical action and implementation.

Aligned with its Terms of Reference, the Taskforce aims to:

To ensure agility and effectiveness, the Taskforce consolidates technical, pedagogical, technological, intellectual, and financial resources, advocating for integrated use of existing platforms and tools at regional and national levels, thereby maximizing value for its Members.

Through this initiative, FAO, WHO, and WOAH reaffirm their joint commitment to strengthening the implementation of One Health through workforce development, recognizing that a skilled, collaborative, and empowered workforce is fundamental to resilient health systems and improved outcomes for humans, animals, plants, and the environment.

For more information about the Joint One Health Taskforce, please consult the Terms of Reference (TOR) here.