The One Health approach within risk assessment agencies: Empowering transformation strategies for the benefit of planetary health
By the Scientific Board of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety – ANSES
In the context of the triple planetary crisis (climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution) and of the scarcity of economic resources, the need for resilient collaborative strategies is urgent. Every day, complex alarming messages on various sources of concern such as persistent pollutants, threatening foodborne pathogens, widespread (micro)plastic dissemination, invasive species introductions, climate change or enhanced natural hazards are echoed by the media. Risk factors cannot be considered for their sole impact on human beings: their impacts must also be assessed on animals, plants, water, soil, air, and the global environment, taking into account the societal dimension and appropriate timeframes. This is the “One Health” approach as defined by the “One Health High-Level Expert Panel”1:
One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. It recognizes the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent.
The One Health approach urges us to rethink of how health, ecosystems and human activities are interconnected and should be addressed together.
Risk assessment shall rely on robust and independent science, including social and human sciences, in order to align citizens and decision makers on adaptation and transition measures rather than enforcing abrupt and possibly unpopular change. This imposes on public bodies assessing health risks to invest in the long term on relevant research to anticipate risks and therefore shift priorities from crisis management to prevention, preparation and anticipation with the involvement of all stakeholders (civil society, private sector and others).
In this context, the role of scientific institutions is not only to assess risks but also to help policy makers and societies navigate complex transitions by providing independent, longterm and interdisciplinary scientific perspectives.
Public risk assessment agencies have a particular responsibility to support evidencebased decision-making in situations where environmental, animal and human health challenges intersect. the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Health Organization (WHO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
In France, ANSES, the Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, has long been following a multidisciplinary operational approach to One Health challenges. Its Scientific Board, which includes French, European and international experts, supports and encourages ANSES to keep the momentum and achieve its One Health ambition, building on internal resources and external partnerships in Europe and beyond and via key networks such as the European One Health Association (EOHA).
1 OHHLEP is the One Health scientific and strategic advisory group to the Quadripartite organisations: the Food and Agriculture Organization of
Scientific Experts must move from the traditional way of working in vertical disciplines, in silos, towards multidisciplinary, cross-sectoral
approaches to better assess risks, and recommend solutions in a holistic way.