Context

 

With biodiversity declining faster than at any time in human history, the deterioration of nature threatens our quality of life, our livelihoods, health and well-being. The way humans interact with nature increases risks to human, animal, plant and ecosystem health. Biodiversity, climate change and human wellbeing are strongly interlinked, as the COVID-19 pandemic has amply demonstrated. 

 

The prevention of zoonotic disease emergence and spread and other health related risks require strategically interlinked approaches across different sectors to contribute meaningfully and effectively to “One Health” outcomes. However, public health policies and programmes often focus on treatment for human diseases – leaving aside long-term prevention, which necessarily requires strengthening of biodiversity conservation and integrating animal and environmental health considerations into One Health. Conversely, policymakers and other stakeholders in the broader environmental sector usually do not have the capacity or resources to integrate disease prevention into the planning, management and implementation of conservation and sustainable-use actions.

 

In this context, a Nature for Health Trust Fund was established to help countries develop more holistic, and coordinated policies by generating and disseminating further evidence on the links between biodiversity, climate and health. Through an initial contribution of EUR 50 million from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) via Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), the Fund brings together leading UN agencies, Intergovernmental organizations and civil society groups in the field of environment and health, namely UNEP, the SCBD, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and EcoHealth Alliance. 

 

An expression of interest was recently launched, requesting countries to apply to become part of the first phase of countries benefiting from the fund. The deadline for submissions is 21 October 2022.

 

In this context and on the occasion of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the BMUV and N4H partners are convening a side-/parallel event for championing preventative One Health approaches. On this occasion, the list of countries that will benefit from the first phase of the Fund will be announced. 

 

Rationale and linkages with CBD COP-15

 

This event aims to build momentum on the linkages between biodiversity and health and the need to accelerate the transition and uptake towards One Health approaches that can help to prevent pandemics. The costs of preventing pandemics are indeed far less than the costs of managing a global outbreak, with plenty of additional benefits. 

 

This event will present the Nature for Health (N4H) Fund as a global initiative committed to champion preventative One Health approaches, and advance the achievement of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework currently being negotiated under the auspices of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the CBD. Following the recommendation of the CBD’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice to the COP at its twenty-fourth meeting (SBSTTA-24), a Global action plan for biodiversity and health is likely to be developed in the following two years, in the lead-up to COP-16. 

 

Through investments in five countries for its first phase, N4H will provide further evidence on the linkages between biodiversity, climate change and pandemics, and advance the implementation of One Health at the national level. These findings, along with the outcomes of other initiatives such as the ones from the Quadripartite Alliance for One Health, can possibly inform the development of such a draft global action plan.