Module 6. How can global coordination and governance help the implementation of One Health? Lesson 1. OHHLEP and OFFLU. How did these two governance mechanisms enhance the One Health implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic? My name is Janice Reis Ciacci Zanella. The One Health High Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) convened for the first time in May 17, 2021. Out of 700 applications from all over the world, different international partners, The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), The World Animal Health Organization (OIE), and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and the World Health Organization (WHO) selected 26 experts from 24 countries as members of the OHHLEP. The expertise present in OHHLEP is wide ranging for infectious disease, to biodiversity, to social science. The panel was considered following the proposal of French and German governments at the Paris Peace Forum in November 2020. He drew on the Tripartite intersectorial cooperation between WHO, OIE, and FAO on non-health issue. In 2021, UNEP joined it to form the tripartite plus UNEP, which now acts as the umbrella for OHHLEP. It is the first time that global panel on One Health has been created by the partners as a center for the expert advice. In this first half year, OHHLEP found its place in the plethora of One Health and other initiatives, programs and projects that were established in and around the COVID-19 pandemic situation. There is a window of opportunity to implement novel strategies to better prevent and cope with global crisis events arising from the human-animal ecosystem interface. OHHLEP is well-placed to give scientific advice to the four partner organization, and beyond. The panel is multi-disciplinary with experts who have a range of technical knowledge, skills, and experience relevant to One Health and are drawn from all regions of the world. The terms of reference specify that OHHLEP will initially focus on: one, providing policy relevant scientific assessment on the emergency of health crisis arising from the human-animal ecosystem interface in research gaps. Two, guidance on development of a long-term strategic approach to reduce risk of zoonotic pandemics with an associated monitoring and early warning framework. This synergy is needed to institutionalize and implement the One Health approach, including in the areas that drive pandemic risk. Following this mission, in its inaugural session, OHHLEP established four working groups concentrating in four topics. One, One Health implementation. Two, One Health research initiative inventory. Three, One Health surveillance, and four, One Health risk analysis. OHHLEP first deliverable was a novel and expanded definition of One Health, which was supported by the four partners, was publicized and received a claim. One Health is an integrated unified approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. It recognizes the health of human, domestic, and wild animals, plants in wider environment, including ecosystems, are closely linked and interdependent. The approach mobilized multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy, and air, safe and nutritious food, taking action on climate change, in contributing to sustainable development. OHHLEP also provided critical inputs into the ongoing development of One Health Joint Plan of Action: a strategic document outlining the way for the partners successfully implements on the One Health approach to tackle global problems at the human-animal- ecosystem interface. This also aligns with the key needs to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in as guiding principles for policy makers in scientists alike. Working groups and working plans. One, One Health implementation. Actions: define One Health in the context of the panel, develop a theory of change to make One Health go from a theoretical concept to the daily practice of collaborative work between the different sectors, health, agriculture, environment, and at different levels. Identify technical institutional barriers for implementation of One Health on the ground. Identify case studies demonstrating good practice so as in One Health in detecting, controlling, and preventing emerging zoonoses. And specifically what work and how, what barriers overcome, governance arrangements, funding, incentives, etc. Suggest, develop improved flexible implementation strategies for One Health, focusing on preventing emerging zoonoses in different contexts. Group 2, inventory of current knowledge in preventing emerging zoonoses. Systematic review and inventory of useful documents, knowledge sharing platforms, capacity building tools, projects, networks, committee, and good practice for the use of One Health approach in the preventions of emerging zoonoses. Identify successful transnational and the national strategies in our ministerial administrative set up that have shown practical and useful intersectorial collaboration. Review requirements for One Health workforce, developing and prioritize a portfolio of issues that would make a difference in the prevention of emerging zoonoses at the global, regional, and national level. Group 3, development of One Health framework for surveillance, early detection, erupted data-sharing in the prevention of emerging zoonoses, define the model One Health Surveillance System, develop a practical, implementable, surveillance framework and good practice guidelines, assess what is known today about the presence of potential zoonotic pathogens, including current hotspot and desertification work. Identify existing international guidance for Integrated Disease Surveillance and the level of implementation, identify existing agreements in system allowing facilitating sharing of surveillance data, provide guidance for inter laboratory system for sharing of samples data results to provide early detection and diagnosis of this pathogen. Group 4, identify factors contributing to spillover in subsequent spread of disease and develop risk management framework. These include all factors such as wildlife, trade, food production and distribution, traditional markets, land use change, biodiversity, animal production in trade, human action, biosafety and biosecurity, and any other relevant environmental issues, including climate change. Identify key drivers of spillover, consider tools already available for multi-sectorial risk assessment. For example, investigate if it has HACCP principles could be adopted as risk assessment possibilities and systematically analyze the evidence of risk of zoonoses spillover. What are the gaps? What factors are neglected and what should be prioritized? OFFLU. Joint OIE, FAO, Scientific Network on a Animal Influenza. OFFLU's objectives are: to share and offer technical advise, training and veterinary expertise to international organizations and member countries to assist in the prevention, diagnostics, surveillance, and control of animal influenza. The exchange of scientific data in biological materials including viruses strain, which within the network to analyze such data and to share such information with the wide scientific community. To collaborate with WHO on issues relating to the animal-human interface, including pandemic preparedness for early preparation of human vaccine. To highlight influenza surveillance and research needs, promote their development and coordination. The OFFLU vision is: the animal health community, will provide early recognition and characterization of emerging influenza virus strains in animal populations, and effective management of known-infection, thereby better managing the risk to human health and supporting global food security, animal health and welfare, and other community benefits derived from domestic animals and wildlife. Regarding avian influenza, OFFLU works on: outbreak information. Supporting OIE and FAO on deliverables of standards and guidance. Manage FLU-GLOBAL-NET; plus information: on avian influenza A H5N8, H7N9, H5N6 and avian influenza virus H5 clades nomenclature; plus vaccination. Regarding swine influenza, OFFLU works on: surveillance in swine, collection of specimens for detection of influenza, global antigenic diversity of influenza, global nomenclature system for swine influenza, swine H1 Clade Sequence Search tool and Pig biosecurity. Regarding Equine influenza, OFFLU works on: providing information on the disease, vaccine, and OIE recommendations. For human-animal interface, OFFLU works on: WHO vaccine strain selection, H5N1 Genetic Changes Inventory. OFFLU also develops protocols and guidance such as OFFLU surveillance strategy, OFFLU research agenda. FAO EMPRES-i genetic module, FLU-GLOBAL-NET, biosafety, sharing material and information, WHO outbreak in investigation guidance in multiple languages. The OFFLU network consists of: a steering committee, an executive committee, scientists, secretariat, and specialists working groups, including the network or the OIE FAO reference laboratories in experts for avian influenza, epidemiology training in control of emerging avian disease, research on emerging avian disease. OIE, FAO, reference laboratories in experts for equine influenza and also OFFLU swine influenza experts. Contribution of the animal influenza data for pandemic preparedness. Every six months all flu avian influenza and swine influenza technical experts groups coordinates inputs from OIE, FAO reference centers and national veterinary laboratories to provide animal influenza genetics and epidemiological data for consideration during the WHO vaccine composition meeting. These data are needed to update pre-pandemic candidate vaccine viruses for human vaccines against zoonotic virus of concern and to contribute to the WHO bi-annual report of antigenic and genetic characteristics of zoonotic influenza viruses in development of a candidate vaccine virus for pandemic preparedness. During February and September, WHO influenza consultations sequence data was provided from OFFLU network over 298H187 and 17H9 avian influenza virus, representing over 30 countries in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, and North America. Equally 495H1 in 304H3 swine influenza sequences were contributed through the OFFLU network. Other activities of OFFLU include: OFFLU proficiency testing, guidance on influenza A Cleavage sites, and scientific task force on avian influenza in wild birds and activities for OFFLU swine influenza group.
