One Health & Planetary Health

Series: Exploring the complexities around the future of global health

The virus that causes COVID-19 is likely to have originated from animals and spread to humans. Many other zoonotic diseases, follow a similar path and the outbreak risks continue to grow as a result of human behaviour. Deforestation and large-scale animal farming are just two examples of human exploitation of nature that accelerate the development and spread of new diseases. Climate change further aggravates the spread and prevalence of zoonotic diseases.

The one health perspective underlines how human, animal and environmental health are interrelated. In a country like the Netherlands with a highly intensive animal farming industry this is recognized and one health is expected to be continued as a key perspective in a forthcoming global health strategy.

According to the planetary health approach, human health is dependent on the earth’s wellbeing: not only animal diseases affect humans, issues such as heatwaves and rising sea levels as a result of climate change impact human health directly.

This is the second in a series of online events that will explore the complexities around shaping a multi-sectoral  global health strategy and contextualizing this within the ongoing policy debates in the Netherlands.

Programme

We will explore questions such as what are one health and planetary health and how their multi-sectoral premise can help shape Dutch policy. The conversation will delve into the risks of climate change and how zoonotic diseases affect human health. In addition, we will explore the how governance of biodiversity, animal farming practices and medicine use may be of relevance.

After exploration of the one health and planetary health approaches we will discuss the policy making challenge of creating a global health strategy that is responsive to these approaches.

What opportunities can a one health approach open for cross-sectoral collaboration?  How can the Dutch policy arena set key priorities while answering to a planetary health approach? And, with what kind of global health institutions and finance instruments can the Netherlands engage to address its agenda?

During the online event opportunity will be given for interaction with the audience through polls and a Q&A session. 

Speakers

• Ron Fouchier, Deputy Head of the Erasmus MC department of Viroscience
• Ama Pokuaa Fenny, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Ghana and West Africa Global Health Leaders Fellow at Chatham House 
• Remco van de Pas, Senior Research Fellow Centre for Planetary Health Policy Research associate at the Clingendael Institute and Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp

Moderator: Louise van Schaik, Head of Unit EU & Global Affairs, the Clingendael Institute

Register

We are looking forward to your virtual attendance on July 7. Register here.

This Clingendael event is cofinanced by Cordaid, KNCV and Aidsfonds.