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The values and risks of an Intergovernmental Panel for One Health to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response

Hobeika A 1 , Stauffer MHT 2 , Dub T 3 , van Bortel W 4 , Beniston M 5 , Bukachi S 6 Show all authors , Burci GL 7 , Crump L 8 , Markotter W 9 , Sepe LP 10 , Placella E 11 , Roche B 12 , Thiongane O 13 , Wang Z 14 , Guérin F 15 , van Kleef E 16

Affiliations 

  • 1 UMR MoISA, CIRAD, Montpellier, France; MoISA, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France; CIHEAM-IAMM, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
  • 2 Geneva Science-Policy Interface, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Simon Institute for Longterm Governance, Geneva, Switzerland
  • 3 Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
  • 4 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
  • 5 Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
  • 6 Institute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
  • 7 Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland
  • 8 Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland; Human and Animal Health Unit, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • 9 Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
  • 10 Department of Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
  • 11 Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Bern, Switzerland
  • 12 Research Institute for Development, PREZODE Initiative, Montpellier, France
  • 13 BIOS/UMR ASTRE, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
  • 14 Empa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Technology and Society Laboratory, St Gallen, Switzerland
  • 15 Geneva Science-Policy Interface, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
  • 16 Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands. Electronic address: [email protected]
Lancet Glob Health, 2023 Aug;11(8):e1301-e1307.
PMID: 37474236 DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(23)00246-2

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need for better global governance of pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) and has emphasised the importance of organised knowledge production and uptake. In this Health Policy, we assess the potential values and risks of establishing an Intergovernmental Panel for One Health (IPOH). Similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an IPOH would facilitate knowledge uptake in policy making via a multisectoral approach, and hence support the addressing of infectious disease emergence and re-emergence at the human-animal-environment interface. The potential benefits to pandemic PPR include a clear, unified, and authoritative voice from the scientific community, support to help donors and institutions to prioritise their investments, evidence-based policies for implementation, and guidance on defragmenting the global health system. Potential risks include a scope not encompassing all pandemic origins, unclear efficacy in fostering knowledge uptake by policy makers, potentially inadequate speed in facilitating response efforts, and coordination challenges among an already dense set of stakeholders. We recommend weighing these factors when designing institutional reforms for a more effective global health system.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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