Serbia advances cross-sectoral collaboration through a One Health workshop

Serbia took an important step towards strengthening its health security and fostering collaboration across human, animal, plant and environmental sectors during the two-day workshop “From theory to practice: Implementing the One Health approach holistically”, held in Belgrade on 1–2 December 2025. Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as the current chair of the Quadripartite (FAO, WHO, WOAH and UNEP), with the support of the other partner agencies, the event brought together over 40 representatives from government institutions, academia and international organizations to support Serbia in making the One Health approach operational.

Opening the workshop, Danijela Kozomora, special adviser to the Chief Veterinary Officer at the Veterinary Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, stressed the need for joint efforts to tackle threats such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), food safety risks, climate-related diseases, and the misuse of agrochemicals. 

Verica Jovanović, Acting Director of the Institute of Public Health of Serbia, noted that in recent years – and especially following the COVID-19 pandemic – the One Health approach has become an essential strategy for fostering integration and multisectoral cooperation that directly influences public health. Concluding her remarks, she noted that the workshop was a valuable platform for sharing experiences and identifying opportunities for future collaboration.

The One Health approach acknowledges the interdependence of human, animal, plant and ecosystem health. As zoonotic diseases, AMR, climate-related threats and environmental pollution continue to rise, countries around the world are pursuing integrated solutions. In Serbia, progress has been made through national health security planning and initiatives such as the 2019 National Bridging Workshop. However, significant gaps remain when it comes to governance, data systems, regulation, workforce capacity and cross-sector coordination.

The workshop sought to fill existing gaps and to achieve three interconnected objectives. First, it aimed to establish a dynamic national multisectoral forum, bringing together experts from human, animal, plant, food safety and environmental fields to openly discuss, identify and capture the country’s most urgent priorities for One Health implementation. 

Building on this momentum, the second objective focused on identifying concrete ways to integrate the One Health approach into Serbia’s existing national plans, strategies and frameworks, ensuring that ongoing cross-sectoral efforts are better aligned, efficient and mutually reinforcing. 

Finally, the event was an opportunity to reflect on the progress made since the 2019 National Bridging Workshop, allowing participants to assess what has been achieved, pinpoint unfinished actions, and collectively determine which initiatives should now be accelerated as high-priority steps towards a fully operational and holistic One Health system. The interactive discussions were facilitated Carlos Gonçalo das Neves, Chief Scientist of the European Food Safety Authority and Co-Chair of the One Health High-Level Expert Panel.