Joint risk assessment operational tool (JRA OT)

High-impact animal diseases including zoonoses pose a threat to animal production, food chains and human and animal well-being through their detrimental effects on food security, food safety, animal health and welfare, human health, livelihoods, national economies and global markets. Risk assessment is crucial in providing early warning of animal disease outbreaks. It enables national authorities to inform farmers and other populations at risk of measures for the prevention and control of threats, and to prepare and develop mitigation strategies that minimize the risk of the introduction and spread of animal health threats.

By conducting risk assessments jointly, risk communication and management options are more likely to be relevant and acceptable to all ministries. In addition, results can align new and ongoing efforts across sectors for effective One Health approaches to zoonotic diseases. The Tripartite (FAO-WHO-WOAH) Joint Risk Assessment Operational Tool (JRA OT) presents the principles of joint risk assessment and its role in informing policy development. It provides guidance on how to set up a joint qualitative risk assessment process and describes step by step how to conduct each component of the process.

Benefits of the JRA OT

Adaptable: can be organized through existing national coordination mechanisms, platforms or task forces, or be used by local authorities for emerging health threats.
Flexible: applied to jointly assess any zoonosis or health concern at the human-animal-environment interface.
Inclusive: incorporates all relevant ministries and stakeholders at the human-animal-environment interface and builds on existing data from sector-specific risk assessments.
Rapid: a step-by-step qualitative risk assessment that can be conducted rapidly and without the need for validated quantitative data or specialized mathematical skills.
Specific: used for a single zoonotic disease or health event.

Our roles
FAO provides support in capacity building and strengthening joint risk assessment for the national ministries in animal health, human health and the environment, and other government agencies responsible for the control and management of zoonotic diseases and emerging health threats, in close collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

Results of JRA OT provide information on relevant risk factors related to selected zoonotic diseases that can form the basis for risk-based surveillance, and identify areas for collaboration among relevant sectors to reduce disease risks.

Regional meeting on advancing joint risk assessment
FAO, WHO and WOAH organized the regional meeting on advancing joint risk assessment using One Health approach in WHO South-East Asia region in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 25 to 27 July 2023. The Tripartite One Health tools and JRA OT were introduced in the meeting. About 36 participants from 9 countries and key partners discussed the management of health threats, and priority actions to further advance joint risk management activities using One Health approach. Read the meeting report here.

Advancing JRA using One Health approach in WHO South East Asia region