Press releases

Download English version Download Portugese version

Press Release - Lisbon, PORTUGAL 8 September 2026

More than 1.300 leading experts in One Health science and policy gathered in Lisbon to share state-of-the art scientific evidence and governance models. The event featured almost 600 scientific posters and hosted more than 80 sessions - including keynotes, panel discussions, and workshops.

The 9th World One Health Congress received UNESCO patronage and was endorsed under the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development. Shaofeng Hu, Director of the Division of Ethics, Research & Technology at UNESCO, emphasized that “One Health must be embedded in education systems - it must reach classrooms and universities". Ensuring that the next generation can think across human, animal and environmental health, is “one of the most important contributions we can make”. Discussions throughout the Congress emphasized the importance of including traditional knowledge from indigenous peoples and local communities. Summarized by Elisabeth Betsi Dibongue, Secretary General PREZODE: “prevention works better when the people who face the risk shape the solution themselves.”

With a Scientific Track and a Scientific Policy Interface Track, the program celebrated state-of-the-art science, models and best practice for governance and implementation, and included a focus on ensuring that science can reach decision makers.

In a challenging global context, the importance of a One Health approach for ensuring global health resilience and security was emphasized, with recognition of the need for greater integration of biohealth threats and strengthened biosecurity.

Taking place in Europe for the first time since 2015, there was a spotlight on European One Health implementation. European Commission and European Parliament representatives joined the five agencies of the European Union Cross-agency One Health Task Force, to reflect on progress to overcome fragmentation, embed structural cooperation, and “unite in diversity”.

The Congress launched a WOHC2026 Joint Statement and Call to Action to mobilize the collective voice of the One Health community, with a shared promise to advocate for One Health and a call for decision makers to:

The Congress closed by celebrating outstanding scientific contributions with the presentation of two prestigious awards sponsored by Springer Nature and One Health Outlook Journal. Shauna Thomas, DVM, earned the Best Oral Presentation award for her research titled "Environmental Drivers of Antimicrobial Resistance in Aquaculture: A Comparative Governance Analysis of Canada and Norway," and Kimberly Edwards received the Best Poster award for her investigation into the resurgence of human A/H5N1 cases and novel reassortant clade 2.3.2.1e transmission in Cambodia.

In recognition of the importance of transformative cross-disciplinary leadership, Carlos Gonçalo das Neves was honored with the One Health Champion Award. He reflected that the Congress “was a true testimony that we are indeed moving from words to action” and celebrated the contribution of all participants: “this award recognizes all of us who, for the last four days, have showed what we try to do on a daily basis across the world: implementing solutions that help solve real problems, complex challenges, and improve the way we live and share this planet”.

The World One Health Congress will mark its 10th edition in Brisbane from 10 to 13 October 2028. Hosted in Australia representing Oceania, the 10th World One Health Congress aims to serve as a catalyst for building capacity, advancing equity, and shaping a healthier, more resilient future for all - highlighting indigenous and First Nations’ knowledge and the perspective of the wider Pacific region and small island states.

“Realizing the promise of One Health requires trust, investment in capacities, sharing of knowledge, political leadership and sustained commitment to implementation within and beyond sectors. Let us therefore move beyond boundaries by connecting our strength.”

Emmanuelle Soubeyran, Director General, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)

“The European Health Union is built on partnership, just like One Health should be. We need to work together because diseases, climate change, and antimicrobial resistance cross borders, so our response has to cross borders too.”

Sandra Gallina, Director General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission.

“As scientists, it is very important that we are able to simplify our message and tailor it to all audiences so that we can gain the most important thing of all, trust.”

Jomana Musmar, AMR Strategic Coalition

---ENDS---

The global One Health Community (GOHC) is a unique, independent and global community gathering One Health voices geared towards building bridges and strengthening communications between science and policy in a rapidly changing world. The objectives of the global One Health Community are to:

• Promote a cross-sectoral and collaborative approach to improve the health and well-being of humans, animals and their environments;
• Foster scientific research into zoonoses and vector-borne infectious diseases;
• Create synergies and facilitate the sharing of data between researchers;
• Disseminate and ‘translate’ novel scientific findings to anyone who might benefit from them;
• Develop the most appropriate communication tools to convey these novel scientific findings and to communicate widely on One Health issues;
• Training of young researchers;
• Improve stakeholder communications;
• Advocate for a One Health approach; and
• Facilitate the science and policy interface.

• WOHC 2026 Joint Statement and Call to Action 
• WOHC 2026 Pre-Congress press release: “The World One Health Congress returns to Europe to lead international discussions on pioneering scientific data and policy challenges”
• WOHC2028 Expression of Interest: Join the mailing list
• WOHC 2026 Promotional toolkit 
• Join the conversation using #WOHC2026 on social media 
• WOHC 2024 Press release: One Health experts call for inclusion of the One Health concept in binding frameworks to achieve the SDGs 
• One Health Day 2026 
• What is One Health? 
• World One Health Congresses 
• Quadripartite Collaboration and Joint Plan of Action (2022 - 2026) 
• Quadripartite collaboration extends the One Health Joint Plan of Action to 2029 
• One Health Commission

• Goretti Cortina, gOHC Secretariat, [email protected] 
• Danielle Rooke, gOHC Secretariat, [email protected]

Download English version Download Portugese version

Brussels, 1 September 2026 

The 9th World One Health Congress will start on Friday at the Lisbon Congress Centre (CCL). Hosted by the global One Health Community (GOHC), the four-day Congress will provide a platform to share groundbreaking scientific data and policy developments across more than 80 sessions, including workshops, plenaries, keynotes, side events and poster presentations.

This year, the World One Health Congress returns to Europe for the first time since the 3rd Congress was held in Amsterdam in 2015. Bringing together the international One Health community in Europe provides a timely opportunity to highlight the region's contributions to advancing integrated approaches to human, plant and environmental health while strengthening international collaboration.

As the world's largest gathering dedicated to One Health, the 9th World One Health Congress will bring together more than 1.200 researchers, policymakers, healthcare professionals, veterinarians, environmental scientists, public health experts, industry leaders, international organizations and civil society representatives to exchange knowledge, build partnerships and shape solutions to the world's most pressing health challenges.

The program has been developed with the recommendations and key outcomes of the 8th World One Health Congress in Cape Town in 2024 firmly in mind, ensuring continuity of discussions while addressing emerging priorities and future opportunities. The Congress program features two complementary abstract-driven tracks: scientific sessions, showcasing cutting-edge research; and science policy interface sessions, bridging scientific evidence with policy development and implementation.

During the opening ceremony, high-level speakers will address key regional and global health priorities. Shaofeng Hu, Director of the Division of Ethics, Research and Technology at UNESCO, will focus on advancing One Health through science for sustainable development, followed by Emmanuelle Soubeyran, Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), who will present "Health Beyond Boundaries: Realizing the Promise of One Health". Focussing on the European context, Sandra Gallina, Director-General for Health and Food Safety at the European Commission, will highlight opportunities to advance the European Health Union through One Health. Carlos das Neves, Chief Scientist at the European Food Safety Authority and co-chair of the One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP), will reflect on a pivotal year for One Health in Europe with a presentation entitled "Copenhagen, Lyon, Lisbon: Carpe diem Europe", and Anne-Françoise Berthon from the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) will feed back from the One Health Summit in Lyon. Finally, Mary Horgan, Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health - Ireland, will outline Ireland’s EU Presidency Vision for One Health.

“Scientific knowledge is the first step towards a resilient coping strategy eventually reflected in effective policies to combat the increasing challenges arising at the human, animal, plant and environmental interfaces that we face today. With its well-balanced One Health program, the 9th World One Health Congress will again create a unique opportunity to exchange the most recent scientific data, ideas, solutions and opportunities for collaboration in this field. Confronted with this ever increasing burden of challenges, it is of crucial importance to join forces and accelerate the development of new strategies to mitigate the impact of these challenges. This is precisely what the World One Health Congress in Lisbon will facilitate: From knowledge to action, shaping resilient One Health strategies." 

Ab Osterhaus, Co-founder global One Health Community, RIZ Hannover, Germany

"One Health integrates many issues across different disciplines concerned with human, animal, plant and ecohealth including zoonoses, food and water security, AMR, climate change, wildlife health and conservation, biosecurity, biodiversity and social equity. What a fantastic opportunity to meet colleagues and to take part in the conversations and discussions concerned with the major challenges and issues around One Health!" 

John Mackenzie, Co-founder global One Health Community, Curtin University, Australia

“As the world faces continuing outbreaks of serious infectious diseases and drug-resistant superbugs, along with increasingly terrible climate disasters, international cooperation is declining. It's very timely that the 9th World One Health Congress is gathering the best collaboration of interdisciplinary thinkers and doers from around the world to accelerate options for solutions to these urgent threats.” 

Dominique Charron, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Canada

“This is such an important time for the global One Health community to reconnect, collaborate and forge a way ahead together at the 9th World One Health Congress in Lisbon.” 

Jomana Musmar, Founder and Senior Consultant, Advisors of Global Health, United States of America

---ENDS---