Improving coordination mechanisms among multisectoral stakeholders through One Health

One Health is essential to preventing and limiting the impact of diseases affecting humans, animals and the environment. In 2022, FAO led the Quadripartite organizations (consisting of FAO-UNEP-WHO-WOAH) in advocating for and facilitating the use of the Joint Risk Assessment Operational Tool (JRA OT) in the region, which is designed to support countries in applying a consistent and harmonized approach to assessing risks posed by zoonotic disease hazards. 

Since the Joint Risk Assessment (JRA) can be iteratively repeated and updated for specific hazards, FAO conducted three JRA workshops for rabies, COVID-19 and avian influenza H9N7 in Indonesia between 2018 and 2022, including a JRA workshop for SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission from humans to companion animals (cats and dogs) in DKI Jakarta Province. The results were used to support policy communication and risk mitigation and improved planning and preparedness for zoonotic diseases in the country. 

The JRA document was subsequently adapted and translated into the local languages to support the sustainable utilization of the tool at the national level. The translated version of the JRA OT in Thai language was published in March 2022, as the first official JRA document aside from the six UN languages.