GRF One Health Summit 2012
One Health - One Planet - One Future
Risks and Opportunities
19-22 February 2012 in Davos, Switzerland

The Integrative Health Risk Management Perspective:

Today’s human health management requires to be dealt with from a holistic “One Health” perspective that acknowledges the systemic interconnections of human, animal and environmental health in close relation with food safety and security. Only an integrative approach will ensure sustainable health management in an era of climate change, resource depletion, land degradation, food insecurity and development challenges. Knowledge sharing, education, improved governance, corporate responsibility and dedicated investments will be key.

Integrative components of One Health thus are:

• Human Health
• Animal Health
• Environmental Health
• Food Safety & Security
• Agriculture

Join top experts, leaders and pioneers from international organizations, public authorities, insurance and health services, the pharmaceutical and food industry, science, and civil society exploring innovative pathways of global integrative health risk management through the One Health perspective. Do not miss this opportunity for networking, experience exchange and the acquisition of first-hand information and join the keynote lectures, panel debates, special sessions, as well as a poster exhibition.

Global Health – New Challenges in Times of Global Change

In an era of rapid global change - characterised by the depletion of natural resource, energy and food insecurity, land degradation and drought, natural, environmental and technological disasters or the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services - public health is globally faced with complex new risks. Modern lifestyle choices, for example, are observed to trigger asthma and cardiovascular diseases and increased allergies. Other prominent examples are given by emerging zoonoses such as the avian and, more recently, the so-called swine influenza, which demonstrate pathogen interference between human beings, livestock and wildlife. Climate change will further influence vector-borne diseases. The use of soya, corn and maize for increased meat and biofuel production increases the price for staple food, and furthermore leads to food insecurities, malnutrition and hunger, even up to political instabilities in resource limited countries. Economic and urban growth, resource depletion, and losses in biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services deeply change the interaction patterns between human civilization, livestock and wildlife. These challenges constitute a serious threat to global sustainability and prosperity.

The One Health Approach – Call for Cooperation

Conjoint health related trajectories, as outlined above, must, however, not only have negative effects as they also offer ample opportunities for combating multiple threats at the direct intersect of human, animal and environmental health, food safety and security. For instance, cancer triggered by environmental pollution might be detected at an early stage via animal health monitoring, as oncological cells spread at a higher speed in an animal's body with lower life expectancy than a human being's. Given the interwoven nature of human, animal and environmental health, medical doctors, veterinarians, environmental scientists, farmers as well as experts on food and pharmaceutical production have information beneficial and complementary to the knowledge of the others to share. A growing community of experts thus argues that today's health issues require to be dealt with from a holistic "One Health" perspective that acknowledges the systemic interconnections of human, animal and ecosystem health as an integrative management of risks and opportunities and especially engages the pharmaceutical and food industry.