BACKGROUND :

Over the past 15 years, there has been much greater recognition of how human health is fundamentally linked to animal health and environmental factors. To facilitate a better understanding of how these sectors interact and relate to one another, the concept of ‘One Health’ has emerged and has fostered cross-disciplinary collaboration between sectors. Worldwide, there has been rapid growth in the number of networks and initiatives established to support a One Health approach, involving a multitude of actors from public, private, non-profit and academic circles. However, despite the increased political and financial commitment towards One Health, the proliferation of initiatives has not been matched by development of the necessary governance mechanisms that would ensure the effective coordination, monitoring and accountability of global One Health activities. There is therefore a need for further research-based evidence and policy discourse on the One Health landscape to address gaps in the global governance infrastructure, and help build mechanisms that will support implementation of the approach.