ONE HEALTH

Challenges

Rapid global, social and environmental changes impact the health and well-being of people and animals, and their shared environment. One Health is an approach to strengthen multidisciplinary collaboration in the detection, prevention, and management of health risks, disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and related phenomena. The core principle is the recognition that ecosystem linkages and interdependencies require an integrated, multi-sectoral, and unifying approach that aims at balancing and optimising human, animal, and environmental health in a sustainable manner. This approach acknowledges the complementary and enhanced connectivity among existing international agreements to advance pandemic prevention and preparedness. Addressing the complex health issues at the human-animal-ecosystem interface requires multidisciplinary expertise and a wide range of stakeholders to manage and overcome related challenges effectively.

GFA concept and services

GFA has a strong record of accomplishments with providing consulting services on infections disease control, rural development including livestock, management of national parks conserving wild life and biodiversity and addressing the adversities of climate change. GFA is has been working in the sectors relevant to One Health and can easily garner the multi-sectoral expertise and response that is required to assist governments and regional governance bodies protect and monitor the ecosystem. To GFA, One Health is not just a theoretical concept – it is a call to action.
 
The complementary and connectivity of the One Health approach are reflected in the company’s efforts towards achieving various Sustainable Development Goals). In particular, this concerns Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), but GFA also supports sustainable land management and agriculture (SDG 2 - Zero Hunger), environmental protection (SDG 15 - Life on Land, SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation and SDG 14 - Life Below Water), as well as sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12).
 
Drawing from the expertise of its different technical departments and its One Health Working Group, GFA is in a prime position to provide the required multidisciplinary expertise to facilitate a transformative shift from segmented systems to interdisciplinary alliance and cohesive integration across all sectors and levels. To this end, GFA fosters knowledge sharing through digital solutions, smart databases, and surveillance across different sectors.

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Contact

Eva Schildbach
Director Health Department
E-mail: eva.schildbach[at]gfa-group.de