The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated measures have had a severe impact on human health, the economy and society. Many countries in the Global South and emerging economies are particularly affected. The pathogen causing this pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, has drawn attention to the importance of zoonotic diseases, in other words diseases that can be transferred from animals to humans.
A growing global population, climate change, increasing mobility, human penetration into previously untouched habitats, industrial agriculture and intensified livestock farming are all factors that increase the risk of pathogens spreading rapidly worldwide. In addition, antimicrobial resistance is on the increase. In order to reduce these massive health risks, new approaches are needed, including in the field of development cooperation.
The term ‘One Health’ stands for an end-to-end, interdisciplinary approach. One Health considers interdependencies and interactions between all sectors and disciplines which are affected by an outbreak of an infectious disease or other event of pubic health concern, which can contribute to preventing and to mitigating it. Sectors involved include, but are not limited to human and animal health, environment and climate, agriculture and wildlife, trade, tourism and defense, communities and the media. The EAC has adopted the One Health approach in the prevention, detection and response to emerging and re-emerging zoonotic disease events and other events of public health concern.
Against this background, GIZ has been commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development to implement the Global Programme for Pandemic Prevention and Response, One Health (GP-PPOH).  It aims at strengthening the capacities of epidemic prevention and control at national, regional and global level through a One Health approach. A supraregional advisory approach is flanked by targeted advice and activities at the regional and country level in Africa (Cameroon, EAC), Asia (Cambodia, Vietnam) and Latin America (Ecuador, Selva Maya), where capacities for implementing One Health and the international health regulations are enhanced together with networks, health projects and partners. The EAC Secretariat in cooperation with the GP-PPOH aims at implementing the EAC One Health Strategy to anchor the One Health approach in the region.
Link to GP-PPOH Webpage: One Health: Preventing and combating pandemics worldwide (giz.de)
GP-PPOH Fact Sheet: Currently being updated. Link will be provided once available.