The “One Sustainable Health by All” Dakar Conference took place in Dakar, Senegal, from October 25 to 26, co-organized by the One Sustainable Health for All Foundation, Galien Africa, and ENDA Santé. High-level speakers from the private and public sectors, academia, the UN, NGOs, as well as civil society, gathered to discuss how to advance the Planetary Health agenda globally with a focus on and specifically in Africa through the One (Sustainable) Health approach. The Dakar Declaration, currently being compiled, will consider the following 12 key messages voiced during the event.
12 Key Messages from the OSH by All Dakar Conference:
Community-Centric Approach
One Health starts and ends with communities. Sustainable, adaptable programs that empower local people are essential to lasting impact.
Shift in Financial Focus
Current funding often emphasizes products over system support, neglecting the health infrastructure and workforce needed for resilience. One Health must focus on sustainable systems and human resource development.
Cross-Sector Collaboration
Cross-Sector Collaboration is not easy, but if efforts to gain momentum and ensure the multi/cross-sector approach envisioned by One Health, one can start with two sectors (say, food producers and market managers, or physicians and ecologists). Breaking down silos two at a time.
Capacity Building for Today and Tomorrow
Training current and future professionals and preparing future the next generations in One Health practices ensures long-term, cross-disciplinary understanding and builds expertise, common language, and a converged vision.
Policy Advocacy and Enforcement
Policy impact requires both advocacy and enforcement. Establishing actionable, enforceable policies within One Health ensures accountability and shared progress.
Equity in Health
Health justice is essential for vulnerable populations such as migrants and refugees. A One Health framework must ensure equitable access to health resources for all.
Local Knowledge and Agriculture
Integrating Indigenous Peoples and local knowledge, especially in agriculture and conservation, protects ecosystems and supports resilience to climate fluctuations, food systems and nutrition.
Regional and Economic Incentives
Promoting regional clusters of initiatives allows scalable, cross-regional impact. Tax incentives and transparent governance further support One Health efforts.
Educational and Media Engagement
Updating educational curricula and engaging media can shift public attitudes, foster group training, and enhance awareness of One Health principles.
Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
Monitoring and combating AMR through improved laboratory capacities, sanitation, and data collection is vital to global health resilience.
Prioritising One Health
Political decision are influenced by lobbying and advocacy, which is lacking in the One Health realm. Leveraging action with communities and members of parliament (who represent the people) is needed.
Inequities
Implementing One Health requires a strong coordination mechanism, appropriate infrastructure at the national level and domestic financing, but the economic benefit – often superseding health – must be shown in order to link funding with governance.
