FAO/WHO/WOAH Establish Joint One Health Learning Taskforce

Joint Statement FAO/WHO/WOAH Joint One Health Learning Taskforce

9 April 2026 Departmental update Reading time:
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 responds to the growing need to equip the human, animal, plant, and environment health workforce with the cross-cutting and profession-specific competencies required to prevent, predict, detect, and respond to complex health threats at the human–animal–environment interface.

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

The Taskforce leverages and connects the complementary strengths of the FAO eLearning Academy and Virtual Learning Centres, the WHO Academy, and the WOAH Training Platform, by building on existing successful programmes while promoting innovation, flexibility, and responsiveness to country and regional needs. By doing so, it supports the translation of One Health principles into practical action and implementation.

In line with its Terms of Reference, the Taskforce aims to:

• Support One Health implementation by providing technical advice on the design of joint One Health training programmes and learning initiatives;
• Enhance multi-stakeholder engagement, fostering inclusive collaboration with governments, international organisations, academia, civil society, and the private sector;
• Improve harmonisation of learning approaches, terminology, guidance, and tools to reduce fragmentation and support coherent One Health action;
• Increase synergy and impact by coordinating joint efforts combining resources and know-how to maximize the effectiveness and scalability of One Health interventions. To ensure agility and effectiveness, the Taskforce pools technical, pedagogical, technological, intellectual, and financial resources, promotes the combined use of existing platforms and tools at regional and country levels, maximizing value for Members.

Through this initiative, FAO, WHO, and WOAH reaffirm their joint commitment to strengthening One Health implementation through workforce development, recognizing that a skilled, collaborative, and empowered workforce is a cornerstone of 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 TOR here.

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