Global One Health Day Celebration in Somali Region Ethiopia

 

The 2025 Global One Health Day was celebrated in Jigjiga, Somali Region, Ethiopia under the theme “Strengthening One Health Collaboration for Resilient Communities.”

The event brought a wide range of partners into one forum, with over 100 participants, including high-level officials such as H.E. Mr. Ahmed Yasin Shek Ibrahim, delegate from the Somali Region President’s Office; H.E. Dr. Mesay Hailu, Director General of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI); and Mr. Mohammed Ayanle Hassan, Deputy Head of the Somali Region Health Bureau.

Participants represented a wide range of sectors, federal ministries, regional bureaus, academia, community representatives, UN agencies, donors, development partners, and civil society organizations.

In her remarks, Ms. Senait Tekeste, representing the World Health Organization (WHO) Ethiopia, forwarded three key calls to action: 

1.  Strengthen multisectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration through sustained coordination, communication, and joint planning. She emphasized translating the national One Health Strategy into a regional action plan, and enhancing surveillance and analysis to improve capacity to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from health emergencies.
2. Invest in education and capacity building by fostering interdisciplinary training and curriculum revision across human, animal, and environmental health fields. She highlighted the importance of information sharing to prevent zoonotic disease spread and ensure optimal outcomes for communities and ecosystems.
3. Leverage advanced tools and technologies to integrate data from human and animal health sectors and support modelling of zoonotic diseases for early detection of emerging and re-emerging threats. 

In his keynote address, Dr. Mesay Hailu underscored the importance of partnership and coordination, stating:

“Health challenges such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and climate-related health risks cannot be addressed in isolation. Strengthening collaboration among sectors — human, animal, and environmental health — is essential to build resilient communities and protect our collective health security.”

Echoing this call, H.E. Mr. Ahmed Yasin Shek Ibrahim reaffirmed the Somali Region’s commitment to advancing the One Health agenda:

“Today’s celebration is a reminder to renew our collective commitment to work together — across sectors and disciplines — to safeguard the health of our people, our animals, and our environment. The regional government stands ready to strengthen collaboration and translate the One Health approach into concrete action.”

The program featured keynote statements from government officials, donors, UN agencies, academia, and development partners, as well as progress reports from national and regional One Health platforms. Both federal and regional leaders reaffirmed their commitment to institutionalizing the One Health approach in the Somali Region. The event was co-sponsored by the WHO, with financial support from the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

Following the formal session, participants took part in interactive workshop presentations that showcased best practices and innovative approaches to implementing One Health at regional and community levels. The event also featured a gallery walk exhibition, where partners and local institutions displayed successful initiatives and collaborative models demonstrating the power of the One Health approach in action.

The celebration concluded with a panel discussion on operationalizing One Health in Ethiopia, complemented by technical presentations and open dialogue among experts from human, animal, and environmental health sectors.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Ethiopia.