The Multisectoral Coordination Mechanisms Operational Tool (MCM OT) was developed by the Tripartite organizations (FAO, WOAH (EX.OIE) and WHO) and technical experts to support national authorities to provide additional support in the area of establishing or strengthening government mechanisms for multisectoral coordination for zoonotic disease and other One Health challenges. These mechanisms allow countries to coordinate administrative and technical activities that support efficient and effective collaboration for improved health security, preparedness and response to One Health threats.

Zoonotic diseases pose risks to both animal and human health and impact livelihoods, economies, and national and global food and health security. Surveillance is an essential part of prevention and control of zoonotic diseases but cannot be effectively addressed by one sector alone. A collaborative, One Health approach and a coordinated multisectoral surveillance system are essential to rapidly identify and respond to zoonotic disease events within a country. The Surveillance and Information Sharing Operational tool (SIS OT) is a Tripartite (FAO, WHO, WOAH) tool developed under the leadership of FAO to support national authorities to establish or strengthen their coordinated, multisectoral surveillance and information sharing for zoonotic diseases. The SIS OT is based on the principles presented in the Tripartite Zoonosis Guide, in particular on “Surveillance for zoonotic diseases and information sharing”. It includes the guidance document with annexes and the Excel-based tool (SIS OT workbook). It is intended for use by a working group or in a workshop setting, by participants representing the animal health, human health, environmental health and other relevant sectors within a country that have responsibility for zoonotic diseases. It provides guidance and a stepwise method and instrument for assessing the national structures and mechanisms already in place. It links users to a curated set of existing resources developed by the Tripartite and other institutions that can help develop or improve that capacity. Finally, the SIS OT guides development of a roadmap and SIS development plan to use those resources to bridge existing structures and build or strengthen the country’s coordinated surveillance system.

The 2018 FAO-OIE-WHO (Tripartite) zoonoses guide, “Taking A Multisectoral, One Health Approach: A Tripartite Guide to Addressing Zoonotic Diseases in Countries” (2018 TZG) is being jointly developed to provide member countries with practical guidance on OH approaches to build national mechanisms for multisectoral coordination, communication, and collaboration to address zoonotic disease threats at the animal-human-environment interface. The 2018 TZG updates and expands on the guidance in the one previous jointly-developed, zoonoses-specific guidance document: the 2008 Tripartite “Zoonotic Diseases: A Guide to Establishing Collaboration between Animal and Human Health Sectors at the Country Level”, developed in WHO South-East Asia Region and Western Pacific Region. The 2018 TZG supports building by countries of the resilience and capacity to address emerging and endemic zoonotic diseases such as avian influenza, rabies, Ebola, and Rift Valley fever, as well as food-borne diseases and antimicrobial resistance, and to minimize their impacts on health, livelihoods, and economies. It additionally supports country efforts to implement WHO International Health Regulations (2005) and OIE international standards, to address gaps identified through external and internal health system evaluations, and to achieve targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2018 TZG provides relevant country ministries and agencies with lessons learned and good practices identified from country-level experiences in taking OH approaches for preparedness, prevention, detection and response to zoonotic disease threats, and provides guidance on multisectoral communication, coordination, and collaboration. It informs on regional and country-level OH activities and relevant unisectoral and multisectoral tools available for countries to use.

This is the 2024 update of the Compendium of WHO and other UN guidance on health and environment. The Compendium is a comprehensive collection of available WHO and other UN guidance for improving health by creating healthier environments. It provides an overview and easy access of more than 500 actions, and a framework for thinking about health and environment interventions. It covers a broad range of areas such as air pollution, water, sanitation and hygiene, climate change, chemicals, radiation, or food systems. Guidance is classified according to principal sectors involved, level of implementation (national, community, health care), the type of instrument (taxes, infrastructure etc.) and the category of evidence. The Compendium compiles existing guidance from hundreds of documents in a simple and systematized format. To ensure the most up-to-date information is provided to the end users, the Compendium is updated on a regular basis and incorporates the latest major WHO or other UN guidance on health and environment. The target audience includes any decision-makers with relevance to health and environment, and those assisting them (such as mayors, staff in ministries, UN country staff etc.). The Compendium has been prepared by WHO in cooperation with UN Environment, UNDP and UNICEF.

Since 2017, the collaborative efforts of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health have led to the development and roll-out of the Joint Risk Assessment (JRA) Operational Tool (OT), a practical instrument linked to the Tripartite Zoonoses Guide. This meeting was held to strengthen JRA using a One Health approach in the WHO South-East Asia Region. In the meeting, the countries shared good practices, lessons and challenges in conducting JRA, practiced the application of the Tripartite JRA OT and identified priority actions to further advance JRA to guide collaborative risk management activities using a One Health approach. The meeting recommended further strengthening JRA at the human–animal–environment interface by engaging multisectoral One Health stakeholders in the respective country context. It was suggested that the actual application of JRA in the country may require a “learning by doing” approach.

The 8th Asia Pacific workshop on multisectoral collaboration at the animal-human-ecosystems interface was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 9 to 11 April 2019. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hosted the workshop in collaboration with the Regional Tripartite, which included FAO, World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO). A total of 142 participants attended this workshop including representatives from national governments of 28 countries in the Asia Pacific region, regional organizations, academic institutions, experts and development partners working on human health, animal health and wildlife issues.