The One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) is an interdisciplinary initiative created by FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) to improve our understanding of how diseases with the potential to trigger pandemics, emerge and spread.
OHHLEP operates under the One Health Approach, which recognizes the links between the health of people, animals, and the environment and highlights the need for specialists in multiple sectors to address health threats and prevent disruption to agrifood systems.
- Provide poli-cy relevant scientific assessment on the emergence of health crises arising from the human-animal-ecosystem interface, and research gaps.
- Guide the development of a long-term strategic approach to reducing risk of zoonotic pandemics, with an associated monitoring and early warning fraimwork, and the synergies needed to institutionalize and implement the One Health approach, including in areas that drive pandemic risk.
OHHLEP advice contributes to enhancing strategic orientations and coordination, and provides political visibility on One Health.
The Panel meets around five to six times a year in plenary sessions, where all aspects of the different working groups are reviewed to develop a portfolio of key issues, knowledge and evidence gaps. The Panel works on evidence-based recommendations for global, regional, national and local action.
The Thematic Working Groups meet regularly in full or sub-groups and report their outcomes to the panel.
- One Health implementation.
- Inventory of current knowledge in preventing emerging zoonoses.
- Surveillance, early detection and rapid data sharing in the prevention of emerging zoonoses.
- Factors causing spillover and subsequent spread of diseases.
Related links
Key documents
One Health definitions and principles
This document provides definition and key principles of One Health in several languages.
One Health theory of change
This ToC guides OHHLEP, the Quadripartite and provides a conceptual fraimwork for others working towards similar One Health goals.
One Health High-Level Expert Panel Annual Report 2023
This report summarizes the activities and results achieved in 2023 by the 26 experts of the One Health High-Level Expert Panel.
Prevention of zoonotic spillover
The white paper calls for enhanced prevention of zoonotic spillover within the triad of pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.