National Strategic Framework for One Health 2023-2027.

This One Health National Strategic Framework is a 5-year multisectoral framework serving as a comprehensive roadmap for strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration at all national levels. It supports the integration of the One Health approach into various health strategies, plans, and programs, ensuring a unified response to public health challenges. A key priority within this framework is addressing climate change, which influences disease patterns, intensifies the virulence of certain pathogens, and contributes to the resurgence of eradicated diseases while facilitating the emergence of new ones. Recognizing this, Egypt is actively incorporating environmental considerations across all sectors to promote sustainable resource management, drive economic growth, and facilitate a just transition to a green economy. These efforts balance environmental conservation with job creation and pollution reduction, safeguarding the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems.
The document sets out the following specific objectives (i) intersectoral institutionalization to enable effective and sustainable coordination between the various sectors; (ii) monitoring common health threats and risks to humans, animals, plants, and the environment and identifying the factors leading to their emergence and outbreaks; (iii) enhancing health capacities in the relevant sectors for prevention, detection and effective response to health threats facing humans, animals, plants, and the environment. The framework includes five key themes, each focused on achieving medium- and long-term outcomes that contribute to the desired impact. These are (1) Enhancing One Health Capacities, ensuring collaborative and coordinated efforts to prevent health threats by building national capacities, providing necessary tools, and optimizing resources for effective implementation. This theme lays the foundation for workforce development, governance structures, and cross-sector collaboration; (2) Controlling and Eliminating Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases, reducing the risk and impact of zoonotic epidemics and pandemics through robust surveillance, early warning, and rapid response systems. Strengthened legal frameworks, political support, and cross-sector collaboration will enhance prevention, control, and preparedness, including vaccination, data-sharing, and vector-borne disease management; (3) Joint Assessment, Management, and Communication of Risks Affecting Food and Water Safety integrating the One Health Strategy to improve food and water safety through policy development, risk assessment, scientific research, and public awareness, ensuring the health of people, animals, and the environment; (4) Curbing the Silent Pandemic of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), optimizing antimicrobial use, preventing resistance, and ensuring sustainable access through policy development, national programs, and governance. This theme promotes cross-sector collaboration, data-sharing, and research while aligning AMR management with environmental and health regulations; (5) Integrating the Environment into One Health, preserving ecosystems, protecting biodiversity, and incorporating environmental health into the One Health Strategy to promote sustainable development. The focus is on cross-sector collaboration, workforce capacity-building, and data-driven decision-making to combat climate change and environmental degradation.
The technical pillars are the operational directions that must be observed under each of the five themes of the framework, and they are (i) Governance and Leadership; (ii) Enhancing One Health Capacities; (iii) Surveillance, Early Warning, and Joint Risk Assessment; (iv) Joint Planning for Preparedness and Response; (v) Effective Risk Communication and Community Engagement; (vi) Cross-Border Partnership and Networking; (vii) Applied Research and Innovation.