The FAO Global One Health Action Conference for Agrifood Systems was held from September 21–23, 2026, at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. More than 1,000 participants attended, including leaders and dignitaries from various countries, staff of international organizations, scientists, and technical experts.

Opening Ceremony of the FAO Global One Health Action Conference (Photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/faonews/)

On the first day of the conference, the opening ceremony was held. FAO Director-General QU Dongyu first delivered a speech entitled "From One Health to Overall Health: Building a Solid Foundation for Health at the Source of Agrifood Systems." He emphasized the close connections between agriculture and the health of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems. One Health is an agenda for farmers, for scientists, and for ministers alike. One Health work spans multiple government departments and requires all stakeholders to work together in an efficient, effective, and coordinated manner. Such challenges cannot be addressed in isolation; the health of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems are closely interlinked, and addressing risks such as emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, and food safety requires collaboration across different sectors. Bringing these sectors together is the core objective of this conference held at FAO headquarters in Rome. Its aim is to help countries move from dialogue to practical action. Director-General QU Dongyu also stated that multi-stakeholder participation and coordinated efforts are precisely the essence of "One Health" and the necessary path toward "Overall Health" for humanity.

Prime Minister Mwigulu Lameck of Tanzania delivered a special address. He stated that "One Health" is an important safeguard for the future development of the world, and that building a unified international understanding of "One Health" is of great significance not only for the development of this concept itself but also for the future development of human destiny. The opening ceremony also featured video addresses by Prime Minister Djuro Macut of the Republic of Serbia and President Guy Parmelin of the Swiss Confederation.

Address by FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu (Photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/faonews/)

Ministerial officials in charge of agriculture, disease control, and health from various countries delivered remarks. Their speeches focused mainly on international coordination, unified action, data sharing, implementation of work, and scientific guidance, covering multiple aspects of One Health work. The participants included: Abdul Awal Mintoo, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Bangladesh; Annie Genevard, Minister of Agriculture of France; Martin Heydon, Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine of Ireland; Yu-Kyoung Oh, Minister of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea (via video); Mustapha Ferjani, Minister of Public Health of Tunisia; and XIA Gang, Deputy Director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The main plenary session on the morning of the first day included four keynote reports: "One Health Past and Present: FAO's Action on One Health" by Thanawat Tiensin, FAO Assistant Director-General; "Translating Committees to One Health Actions in Agrifood Systems" by Wanda Markotter, Co-Chair of the One Health High-Level Expert Panel; "Interconnectedness of One Health" by Nicolaus Kriz, Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority; and "Understanding the Invisible Microbial World in One Health" by ZHU Yongguan, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Vice President of the International Science Council. During the session, video presentations were also shown on One Health information and intellectual support initiatives, including a biosafety index self-assessment tool, forest biosafety guidelines, plastics pollution and One Health technologies, and the contribution of the livestock sector to food security and sustainable agrifood systems.

Yurdi Yasmi, Director of the Plant Production and Protection Division of the FAO, moderated the subsequent keynote discussion entitled "Advancing One Health Actions Together," in which experts and practitioners from China, Italy, India, Mozambique, and other countries shared their views and engaged in discussion.

Conference Venue (Photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/faonews/)

The conference comprised 11 series plenary sessions, 13 parallel sessions, 15 side events, and a youth forum, among others, exploring the theme of "One Health" from multiple perspectives over the three-day event.

ZHANG Zhibin, Vice President and Executive Director of the International Society of Zoological Sciences and Professor at Hainan University, participated in the discussion of the series plenary session "One Health for Better Environment through Ecosystem Resilience" and briefly introduced the development and international cooperation of the Hainan One Health World Bank Project. He stated that the Hainan One Health Project is the largest known One Health action plan in the world, aimed at enhancing the capacity of the Hainan Free Trade Port to respond to the introduction of major infectious diseases based on the One Health concept. Hainan Province's One Health practice shows that One Health governance depends on leadership attention, policy support, departmental coordination, information sharing, advanced technology, talent cultivation, and knowledge dissemination, and can provide reference and lessons for One Health governance in other parts of the world. In recent years, the International Society of Zoological Sciences has worked closely with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Union of Biological Sciences, Hainan University, and others to actively promote the implementation of the global One Health action plan.

Professor ZHANG Zhibin Attends the One Health Action Plan Roundtable

During the conference, ZHANG Zhibin, Vice President and Executive Director of the International Society of Zoological Sciences and Professor at Hainan University, and LIU Ming, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Society of Zoological Sciences, held further discussions on the content and modalities of bilateral One Health cooperation with Thanawat Tiensin, Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Director of the Animal Production and Health Division, SONG Junxia, Director of the FAO One Health Centre, and Carmen Bullon Caro, an officer of the FAO Legal Office. Both sides stated that they would continue to deepen cooperation and exchange in the field of One Health. The Society's representatives also exchanged views and held talks with ZHU Yongguan, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Vice President of the International Science Council, and LI Lifeng, Director of the Land and Water Division of the FAO, who were attending the conference. All parties stated that they would strengthen contact and communication in the future and jointly advance the implementation of the global One Health action plan.

The convening of this conference is of great significance for countries around the world in implementing and promoting the One Health action plan advocated by the Quadripartite international organizations.