Review of the Australia – WOAH One Health Partnership

Programme Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic and emergences of other zoonotic diseases in recent years highlight how human impact on the environment can adversely affect the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. In response to events like this, One Health has become a growing priority in the Asia-Pacific region—where many emerging diseases like SARS and highly pathogenic Avian Influenza have originated. However, limited veterinary capacity can undermine efforts to address these disease risks at their source and with most emerging diseases stemming from animals, strengthening Veterinary Services is essential to building resilient health systems.

However, the review has also identified areas which require further attention. Many activities have not yet translated into measurable change, and long-term outcomes remain uncertain. The Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) component has made important progress in identifying barriers to inclusion, like unjustified scepticism for Female animal health professionals to handle large animals, but further efforts are needed to translate these insights into changes in processes and practices. Improved monitoring, making clearer linkages between activities and outcomes, and greater follow-up support to countries will also be essential to ensure sustained results and impact as the Phase 2 of the OHP continues.

Recommendations

The review makes the following recommendations for Phase 2 of the OHP:

• Maintain engagement and modify activities in the Pacific: Pacific countries emphasized the value of locally based staff, and the Partnership should maintain regional presence while also ensuring inclusivity of non-veterinary professionals and accessibility of tools for low-bandwidth users.
• Improve Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E): Develop a more detailed M&E framework to track the progression of activities from strategies and reports into tangible, on-ground outcomes. Ensure that M&E is an ongoing process and that it incorporates sufficient time after an activity has occurred to fully capture impacts at both national and subnational levels.
• Address gaps in GEDSI: WOAH should mainstream GEDSI across the entire Partnership by systematically examining each activity’s impact on marginalized groups. This involves assessing how Partnership activities address barriers to participation and ensure inclusivity, particularly for women who make up an increasing majority of the veterinary workforce.
• Increase follow up and targeted support: Country stakeholders value OHP activities such as the PVS Pathway and NBWs, but more support to better understand and implement recommendations can help countries turn project activities into concrete actions that strengthen veterinary services
• Modify certain OHP activities: PVS Pathway should continue including at least one regional representative in expert teams to provide valuable contextual insights and foster better engagement from country stakeholders. Both the PVS Pathway and NBWs are time-consuming for country stakeholders, so efforts should be made to streamline processes and reduce their duration without compromising quality. WOAH has made efforts to do this by shortening PVS missions in the Pacific and modifications like this should continue where necessary. Additionally, PVS Pathway activities in Phase 2 of the OHP should utilize the newly launched WOAH PVS Pathway Information System to develop shorter reports with quicker turnaround times to help countries take timely follow up actions.

Conclusion

The OHP reflects growing international recognition of the need for integrated approaches to health that span human, animal, and environmental systems. Operating in South-East Asia and the Pacific—regions with significant exposure to zoonotic and transboundary disease threats—the project contributes to broader global efforts to operationalize One Health. Its focus on strengthening veterinary services and addressing issues like rabies and wildlife health situates it within the global health security agenda to build more resilient and coordinated health systems. Country ownership and WOAH’s well-established relationships have been key enablers of the OHP to date, and sustaining this collaboration will be essential to achieving long-term impact and meaningful One Health outcomes.

WOAH would like to thank the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia, for its continuous support in implementing this project and the Nossal Institute for Global Health in conducting this specific review.

If you are interested in reading the full report, please contact Stéphane Renaudin ([email protected]) and Maho Urabe ([email protected]).