One Health Summit: better health for all life and the planet Global health News Published on : April 03rd 2026 Updated on : April 07th 2026 The One Health Summit will be held in Lyon (France) on 7 April 2026, marking World Health Day. For the first time, Heads of State and Government from around the world will gather to step up the implementation of the One Health approach. What is the One Health approach? The One Health approach recognizes the interlinkage between human, animal and ecosystem health and seeks to strike a balance between them. It uses the close, interdependent links among these fields to create new disease surveillance and control methods. While an integrated and unifying approach to health is nothing new, recent health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic have again highlighted the need to provide coordinated, science-based responses founded on prevention, sharing of knowledge and international cooperation. Aims of the One Health Summit This Summit aims to illustrate the benefits of the One Health approach to encourage effective deployment at all levels: international, national, regional and local. The discussions will aim to: Boost international and interdisciplinary dialogue on global challenges, through cooperation and research programmes, for example; Contribute to reshaping the global institutional framework by fostering the emergence of a shared One Health culture; Bring on board all public and private actors willing to contribute to concrete actions; Deepen solutions that strengthen health and surveillance systems to prevent health, food and environmental risks to communities. Health, a global public good The One Health approach is omnipresent in daily life and should be our compass to design public policies based on independent and reviewed scientific data. Addressing every dimension of health issues should become a reflex. Only then will we be able to understand, anticipate, control and prevent many diseases, both infectious and noncommunicable. Did you know? Some 60% of emerging infectious diseases notified worldwide originate in either wild or domesticated animals. More than 30 new human pathogens have been detected in the last three decades, 75% of which of animal origin. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause around 250,000 additional deaths each year through malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress. Source: World Health Organization The One Health Summit will be the ninth One Planet Summit and is being held in synergy with France’s 2026 G7 Presidency. Accompanying the One Health Summit, a One Health Festival is being held in France and abroad from 16 March to 15 May 2026, involving more than 150 events. One Health Festival programme Keep track of the latest One Health Summit updates on social media: LinkedIn X YouTube