25 August 2026 A new full international document, “Financial and economic returns to investing in One Health: evidence and future directions,” has been published. The document focuses on the financial and economic returns of investing in the One Health approach.
The document was prepared by the FAO Investment Centre in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and CIRAD, with support from the Innovation and Knowledge for Investment (IK4I) programme.
The document examines why investment in One Health is becoming increasingly important for preventing and reducing risks associated with zoonotic and other infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety threats, climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. The One Health approach recognizes the interconnection between the health of people, animals, plants and the environment and promotes more effective coordination of action across sectors.
The authors emphasize that the economic consequences of global health threats can amount to billions and even trillions of US dollars. In particular, the document notes that zoonotic diseases have previously caused more than USD 20 billion in direct economic losses over a ten-year period, while antimicrobial resistance could lead to a loss of around 3.8 percent of global annual GDP by 2050.
These issues are especially relevant for Central Asia. The growth of agriculture and livestock production, increased animal movements, insufficient biosecurity practices, weak sanitary and phytosanitary standards, limited surveillance and insufficient cross-border coordination increase the risk of zoonotic disease spread and the vulnerability of food systems.
In view of the regional relevance of this topic, the Regional One Health Coordination Secretariat for Central Asia has prepared a separate policy brief based on the international document. The policy brief adapts the key findings of the original document for Central Asian stakeholders, including government agencies, technical institutions, laboratories, national coordination structures, development partners and the expert community.
The Secretariat’s policy brief highlights how the findings of the international document can be applied in the region — to strengthen regional coordination, integrated surveillance, laboratory networks, cross-sectoral cooperation, workforce capacity, integration of environmental and climate factors, and the development of sustainable investment mechanisms for One Health.
The Regional Secretariat encourages stakeholders to review both the full international document and the Central Asia-focused policy brief prepared on its basis.
Full original document: Financial and economic returns to investing in One Health: evidence and future directions