Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need for better global governance of pandemic prevention, preparedness, and
response (PPR) and has emphasised the importance of organised knowledge production and uptake. In this Health
Policy, we assess the potential values and risks of establishing an Intergovernmental Panel for One Health (IPOH).
Similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an IPOH would facilitate knowledge uptake in policy
making via a multisectoral approach, and hence support the addressing of infectious disease emergence and re-emergence
at the human–animal–environment interface. The potential benefits to pandemic PPR include a clear, unified, and
authoritative voice from the scientific community, support to help donors and institutions to prioritise their investments,
evidence-based policies for implementation, and guidance on defragmenting the global health system. Potential risks
include a scope not encompassing all pandemic origins, unclear efficacy in fostering knowledge uptake by policy makers,
potentially inadequate speed in facilitating response efforts, and coordination challenges among an already dense set of
stakeholders. We recommend weighing these factors when designing institutional reforms for a more effective global
health system.
Description:
CONTRIBUTIONS : AH, MHTS, TD, WvB, FG, and EvK conceptualised and designed the
study. FG and EvK led the organisation and strategic programming of the
expert workshop during the Geneva Health Forum 2022, with substantial
inputs from AH, MHTS, TD, WvB, and OT. AH, MB, GLB, EP, and BR
provided interventions during the expert workshop (either as moderator
(GLB), presenter (AH and MB), or panel member (MB, EP, and BR),
which have all informed the content of the manuscript. MB, SB, GLB,
LC, LPS, EP, BR, and ZW were invited participants to the workshop and
participated in the workshop discussions, which have informed the
content of the manuscript. AH and MHTS were involved in data
collection (review of the literature) and analyses, with contributions from
FG and EvK. AH and MHTS drafted the first manuscript, with inputs
from TD, WvB, WM, FG, and EvK. All authors commented on the
manuscript, and read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
All authors had full access to all the data in the study and had final
responsibility for the decision to submit for publication.