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ROME: Environment, animal health and public health cannot be viewed separately, said Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo stressing the need for an integrated approach that considers people, animals, plants and ecosystems.
He made the remarks while addressing the opening session of the global conference on “Actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems” at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome on Monday.
The three-day conference, being held from September 21 to 23, is focusing on advancing the One Health approach in agrifood systems.
Mintoo said the resilience of agrifood systems depends on the collective health of interconnected people, animals, plants and ecosystems.
Bangladesh, situated in the densely populated and low-lying Ganges Delta, remains highly vulnerable to climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, he said.
As people, ecosystems and agrifood systems are closely connected within the same landscape, pressure on one sector can quickly affect others, making it impossible to develop effective solutions by addressing environmental, animal and public health separately, the minister said.
He said Bangladesh had been developing a framework for nearly two decades that treats One Health not merely as a concept but as a principle of practical governance, with institutional partnerships at its core.
Drawing on this experience, Bangladesh is prioritising coordination, information sharing and accountability among relevant ministries, the inclusion of the environment and ecosystems as central elements of the One Health framework, and capacity-building at district and grassroots levels, he said.
The minister said planned institutional arrangements were needed to establish lasting coordination among ministries.
The formal recognition of the environment sector as a core stakeholder in Bangladesh’s national One Health framework is an important step forward, he said, adding that the partnership should be further strengthened through joint planning and shared resources.
He expressed hope that the proposed One Health knowledge hub would help countries exchange practical experiences and lessons.
Referring to the conference as timely ahead of COP31, scheduled to be held in Antalya, Türkiye, in November, Mintoo said Bangladesh would take the experience and outcomes of the Rome discussions into the COP31 negotiations and work towards a more integrated global approach to climate and environmental health.
He reiterated Bangladesh’s readiness to share its progress and challenges while learning from other countries.
The minister also stressed the importance of translating the conference discussions into practical programmes, adequate financing and stronger capacity at the local level.
The opening session was attended by FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu; President of Switzerland Guy Parmelin; Tanzanian Prime Minister Mwigulu Lameck Nchemba; Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut; Mozambique’s Health Minister Ussene Hilario Isse; Cabo Verde’s Minister of Agriculture Eveline Nair Monteiro Ramos; France’s Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard; and Ireland’s Minister of State for Agriculture Martin Heydon, along with ministers and senior representatives from various countries, heads of international organisations and experts.
