International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

Moving One Health from Policy to Practice | ILRI at the 9th World One Health Congress 2026

Duration: 3:03 432 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

At the 9th World One Health Congress held in Lisbon from September 4th to 7th, 2026, ILRI gathered global researchers, policymakers, and partners to address critical challenges at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health. The central theme of the event was the urgent need to transition One Health initiatives from theoretical concepts and high-level policies into tangible practice on the ground. Drawing on decades of experience from Africa and Asia, ILRI scientists presented evidence-based approaches designed to connect communities, governments, and various sectors to tackle pressing issues such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety, and system preparedness. A significant portion of the discussions focused on strengthening operational One Health systems by moving beyond mere indicators found on paper to create genuinely prepared frameworks. ILRI hosted a dedicated session that explored the integration of food security, agriculture, and health security, emphasizing the necessity for robust surveillance, integrated data management, and cross-sectoral coordination. Through presentations and a new series of solution briefs, the organization highlighted how community-centered tools can effectively translate these complex concepts into practical actions, showcasing concrete interventions that have the potential to reach millions of people and improve lives globally. The event also served as a vital platform for sharing emerging evidence and fostering direct exchange among field practitioners through poster sessions and interactive booths. Partners from the COHISA project contributed valuable insights from Eastern and Southern Africa, demonstrating how enhanced multi-sectoral engagement can significantly improve One Health governance. These interactions allowed attendees to discuss methods, share real-world experiences, and identify lessons learned that could be adapted and scaled for broader impact, while ILRI's booth facilitated new conversations and partnerships by providing access to essential research tools and resources. Ultimately, the congress reinforced the message that breaking down silos between different sectors is essential for effective One Health implementation. A key takeaway was the call for investors and policymakers to actively utilize the synthesized work presented, particularly the solution briefs, to invest in and operationalize these innovations. By fostering an environment where research involving animals, people, and the environment can intersect effectively, stakeholders are encouraged to scale successful models to ensure sustainable progress in global health security and well-being.

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At the World One Health Congress held from 4 to the 7th of September 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal, ILR joined researchers, policymakers, and partners from around the world to share evidence, experience, and practical solutions for better [music] human, animal, and environmental health. Across the Congress, ILR scientists contributed to conversations on some of today's most pressing onehealth [music] challenges. From zunotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance and food safety to governance, [music] preparedness, and stronger one health systems, a key message was clear. One health needs to move beyond concepts and policies and work in practice. Drawing on work from Africa and Asia, ILR shared approaches that connect communities, governments, and different sectors. Research presented by ILRY and partners showed how community centered tools can help translate one health into practical action on the ground. Preparedness was also at the center of an ILR hosted session on strengthening operational onehealth systems through the integration of food, agriculture, and health security. The discussion explored [music] what it takes to move from indicators on paper to systems that are genuinely prepared with stronger surveillance, integrated data, and coordination across sectors. At World One Health Congress, ILR [music] brought together lessons from 30 years of CGIR OneHealth implementation through presentations and a new series of solution briefs highlighting approaches that can be adapted, invested in, and scaled. Partners from the Cohisa [music] project brought experiences from Eastern and Southern Africa into the global conversation. Their contributions explored [music] how stronger multis sectoral engagement can improve one health governance. ILRY researchers and partners [music] also shared emerging evidence through posters creating opportunities for direct exchange around methods, experiences, and lessons from the field. Beyond the sessions, the ILR and CGIR booth connected people with research tools and resources while creating space for new conversations and partnerships. [music] >> For me, one of the takeaways is that we need to do a little bit more uh at still some desiloing uh and look forward to breaking some of those silos uh through the work that we are carrying out. So CJ offer a very good uh environment to do research in one health because we are dealing with animals you know environment people and and so on. So this series the brief is really uh a synthesis of our work and showcase uh what are the concrete uh interventions in one health and we call for investor policy makers in particular to actually take it use this and invest and operationalize and scale all this innovation in one health to reach many million people to change their life.