Towards a healthy co-existence of people and animals in their shared ecosystems

This event is part of the One Health Festival Summit. Learn more on the official event webpage.

Replay

Background 

Wildlife trade—legal, illegal, domestic or international—is one of the most complex and under-addressed drivers of health risk at the human–animal–environment interface.  

The International Alliance against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade is a global, interdisciplinary and intersectoral network of over 180 organisations and 500+ experts working to better understand and prevent pathogen spillover at the source by bridging science, policy and practice through an One Health approach. Its activities range from knowledge exchange, pilot projects, and policy advisory support to awareness-raising on health risks along wildlife trade chains.  

Join us for an online event at the One Health Festival- Summit that shines a spotlight on the health risks inherent with wildlife trade and the Alliance’s role in elevating this issue on the national and global One Health stage. Featuring a keynote presentation, an expert panel discussion, and compelling field stories, this dynamic session is designed to inform, inspire, and encourage action. 

Objectives 

1. To raise global awareness about zoonotic health risks inherent to wildlife trade and their implications for pandemic prevention strategies and global health policy. 

2. To showcase successful projects with concrete results from field implementation. 

3. To stimulate actionable dialogue on evidence-informed policies to reduce risk at source. 

4. To highlight multi-sectoral collaboration to reduce health risks in wildlife trade.  

Details 

• Date and time:  23 April at 2 pm CET (8 am EDT/9 pm JST). 

• Venue: Virtual

• Learn more about the International Alliance and WOAH wildlife health

The event is open to all. We invite government officials and technical experts, and other important actors from academia, donors, civil society, and media, as well as partners supporting One Health implementation. 

Replay

On behalf of GF-TADs for Europe, and the Veterinary Authority of Spain, WOAH Regional Representation for Europe invites all Members and partners worldwide to a second technical webinar to update on the African swine fever (ASF) epidemiological situation in Spain. The previous webinar on the topic took place on December 22, 2025, and brought together more than 250 participants.

This webinar will provide an overview of the current epidemiological situation, the response measures implemented, and coordination at regional and international levels. It will also serve as an opportunity to share experience and lessons learned.

Date: 16 April 2026
Time: 13.00 to 14.30 CET
Format: Online (Zoom webinar)

Participation in this webinar is free, but registration is mandatory via the link below. The webinar will be conducted in English, with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish, French and Russian.

We look forward to your participation.

Agenda

Opening and moderation: Dr Budimir Plavsic, Permanent Regional Secretariat of GF-TADs Europe

Opening remarks and Chair: Dr Bernard Van Goethem, President of GF-TADs for Europe, Chair of SGE-ASF

Epidemiological situation of African swine fever in wild boar in Spain and disease control measures: Dr Emilio García Muro, Spanish CVO and WOAH Delegate

Laboratory findings and virus characterization: Dr Manuel Durán Ferrer, National Reference Laboratory and Dr Carmina Gallardo, EURL (INIA CISA)

Moderated Q&A: Dr Gregorio Torres, Head of the Science and Disease Management Department

Closing remarks: Dr Bernard Van Goethem

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) invites multidisciplinary teams to participate in an international datathon on animal health data science, focusing on surveillance, risk, trade and impact assessment.

Participants will work remotely over several months to address real‑world analytical challenges using pilot datasets provided by WOAH and partners. The datathon aims to stimulate innovation, methodological rigor and decision‑relevant analytics in animal health.

Winning teams will receive prize money, the opportunity to be featured in The Animal Echo and to present their work at a dedicated side event during the WOAH Global Session in 2027.

Who can participate

The datathon is open to international, multidisciplinary teams (1–6 members), including but not limited to:

Teams may include members from academia (students or faculty), public institutions, international organisations, NGOs or the private sector.

Timeline

• Official launch: March 2026
• Deadline for registration: 31 May 2026
• Team work: Independent and asynchronous (remote participation)
• Support: Documentation, data descriptions and periodic technical clarifications
• Final submission: analytical pipeline + report on a git repo by October 31st, 2026.

Organisation and deliverables

Each team will:

• Select one challenge either from the list or self-proposed (subject to approval)
• Develop a complete data science pipeline, including data processing, modelling and validation
• Produce analytical outputs based on pilot or historical datasets
• Document methods and results in a concise technical report
• All code must be reproducible and submitted as a git push to a public repository (e.g., GitHub, GitLab) with clear instructions for replication.

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Stay informed

Mailing list

To stay up to date with the latest news regarding the WOAH Datathon, please register to the datathon mailing list.

FAQs

For any general question, please check the FAQs page before contacting us.

Contact

If needed, write to us through dataintegration.dept @ woah. org with subject line “WOAH Datathon”.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) will host a virtual event on Thursday, 26 March 2026, from 13:00 to 14:30 CET, marking the official launch of the modernised Global Early Warning System (GLEWS+) platform and its new public website. 

GLEWS+ is a flagship One Health intelligence mechanism jointly established by FAO, WHO and WOAH to strengthen collaboration across sectors and improve the early detection of health threats. By bringing together the complementary expertise of the three Organizations, GLEWS+ supports the identification of signals, the joint assessment of potential risks, and the timely communication of information to guide action. 

Mechanisms such as GLEWS+ are increasingly important global early warning, as emerging and re-emerging health threats at the human–animal–ecosystem interface continue to pose significant risks to global health security. Increasing interconnectedness, environmental change, intensification of livestock systems, and global mobility highlight the need for stronger mechanisms for timely detection, coordinated risk assessment and joint action. 

During the upcoming event, participants will be introduced to the modernised GLEWS+ platform and the new public website and will learn how One Health intelligence contributes to early warning, joint risk assessment and coordinated responses to emerging health threats. The event will also bring together experts to reflect on One Health intelligence and how to advance the broader global health security agenda. 

For more information, visit the event webpage or contact [email protected]. 

This webinar aims to present key findings from the Second WOAH Observatory Monitoring Report and and engage Members in understanding how standards are implemented across priority thematic areas.

This session will examine Members’ use of WOAH procedures for disease self‑declaration and official status recognition, and will also provide an overview of how Members apply sanitary measures in accordance with WOAH standards in the context of trade.

This webinar will be offered in English.

Time (CET)	Session	Content	Speakers
12:00–12:05	Opening	Welcome address: brief introduction to the webinar, overview of the agenda	Dr Montserrat Arroyo, Deputy Director General International Standard and Science, WOAH
12:05–12:10	What is the the WOAH Observatory programme ?	Observatory programme objectives and main outputs	Dr Caroline Paquier, Senior Programme manager, WOAH
12:10–12:15	The Second WOAH Observatory monitoring report- Methodology	Methodology applied to execute the Second Observatory Monitoring Report	Dr Nahoko Ieda, Scientific Officer, WOAH
12:15–12:30	Key highlights of  Observatory Monitoring Indicators analysis- Recommendations to WOAH and Members	Presentation of the key monitoring indicators accompanied by the recommendations to WOAH and Members	Dr Nahoko Ieda, Scientific Officer, WOAH
12:30–12:40	Q & A	Open round discussion	All
12:40–12:45	Closing Remarks	Takeaway messages	TBD

This webinar aims to present key findings from the Second WOAH Observatory Monitoring Report and engage Members in understanding how standards are implemented across priority thematic areas.

This session will explore how countries implement movement control, border precautions, and zoning and compartmentalisation measures to reduce the spread of animal diseases within and across borders.

The webinar will be offered in english.

Time (CET)	Session	Content	Speakers
12:00–12:05	Opening	Welcome address: brief introduction to the webinar, overview of the agenda	Dr Montserrat Arroyo, Deputy Director General International Standard and Science, WOAH
12:05–12:10	What is the the WOAH Observatory programme ?	Observatory programme objectives and main outputs	Dr Caroline Paquier, Senior Programme manager, WOAH
12:10–12:15	The Second WOAH Observatory monitoring report- Methodology	Methodology applied to execute the Second Observatory Monitoring Report	Dr Nahoko Ieda, Scientific Officer, WOAH
12:15–12:30	Key highlights of  Observatory Monitoring Indicators analysis- Recommendations to WOAH and Members	Presentation of the key monitoring indicators accompanied by the recommendations to WOAH and Members	Dr Nahoko Ieda, Scientific Officer, WOAH
12:30–12:40	Q & A	Open round discussion	All
12:40–12:45	Closing Remarks	Takeaway messages	TBD

This webinar aims to present key findings from the Second WOAH Observatory Monitoring Report and and engage Members in understanding how standards are implemented across priority thematic areas.

This session will highlight how Members address antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance and contribute to One Health objectives by applying WOAH standards, reflecting global patterns and gaps identified in the monitoring analysis.

The webinar will be offered in English.

Time (CET)	Session	Content	Speakers
12:00–12:05	Opening	Welcome address: brief introduction to the webinar, overview of the agenda	Dr Montserrat Arroyo, Deputy Director General International Standard and Science, WOAH
12:05–12:10	What is the the WOAH Observatory programme ?	Observatory programme objectives and main outputs	Dr Caroline Paquier, Senior Programme manager, WOAH
12:10–12:15	The Second WOAH Observatory monitoring report- Methodology	Methodology applied to execute the Second Observatory Monitoring Report	Dr Nahoko Ieda, Scientific Officer, WOAH
12:15–12:30	Key highlights of  Observatory Monitoring Indicators analysis- Recommendations to WOAH and Members	Presentation of the key monitoring indicators accompanied by the recommendations to WOAH and Members	Dr Nahoko Ieda, Scientific Officer, WOAH
12:30–12:40	Q & A	Open round discussion	All
12:40–12:45	Closing Remarks	Takeaway messages	TBD

Join Us for World Tuberculosis Day: “Advancing the One Health Approach for Control of Zoonotic Tuberculosis in Africa“

WHO and WOAH are jointly hosting a webinar to mark World Tuberculosis Day which is observed on 24^th March 2026, bringing together human and animal health experts, national programme managers, and development partner to advance the One Health response to zoonotic tuberculosis (zTB) across Africa.

Zoonotic tuberculosis, caused by members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), and principally Mycobacterium bovis  which remains a neglected yet significant burden in the community and in livestock. Transmission occurs primarily through direct contact with infected livestock or consumption of unpasteurised milk and dairy products, disproportionately affecting pastoral and smallholder farming communities in low- and middle-income countries.

In 2017, WHO, WOAH, FAO, and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) jointly published the Global Roadmap for Zoonotic Tuberculosis. Seven years on, implementation of this roadmap across remains uneven, constrained by weak inter-sectoral coordination, diagnostic gaps, and limited investment.

WOAH has provided internationally recognised standards for the diagnosis, surveillance, and control of mammalian tuberculosis in animals through two key instruments: Terrestrial Animal Health Code, Chapter 8.12. and Terrestrial Manual, Chapter 3.1.13.

 In 2024, WOAH published guidelines on control of MTBC infection animal in livestock to provide guidance to for those countries who are looking for alternative approaches to test and slaughter to reduce the burden of the disease in animals.

This webinar provides a timely platform to review progress, and look at the country level evidence from Algeria, Madagascar, and best practises in Ethiopia to mobilise renewed political and financial commitment for zoonotic tuberculosis.

The webinar will be offered in English with simultaneous translation in French.

Last date of registration -15^th March 2026

The webinar is open to public health and veterinary professionals, national TB and zoonoses programme managers, researchers, One Health practitioners, and development partners.

Agenda

Time	Session	Content	Speakers
12:00–12:05	Opening	Welcome address: brief introduction to the webinar, overview of the agenda	Prof Dissou Affolabi National TB Programme Coordinator of Benin and Head of the WARN/CARN-TB Network Secretariat Dr Marcus Lacerda Director, Special programme for research and training in Tropical diseases (TDR) – WHO – Geneva
12:05–12:15	Gaps/Progress in the roadmap for zoonotic tuberculosis and challenges	Current situation & challenges faced in controlling zoonotic TB	Dr Corinne Merle WHO – TDR Irwin Lay WHO, Department of HIV, TB Hepatitis and STIs
12:15–12:25	WOAH Strategies for control of bovine tuberculosis	Tools for endemic countries. Guidelines for control of MTBC infection in livestock	Dr Monal Ajit Daptardar Scientific Coordinator, WOAH
12:25–12:55	1. Madagascar 2. Algeria 3. Ethiopia	Country Perspectives focusing on needs and next steps	Dr Joelle Razafimahefa Faculté de Médecine Fianarantsoa, Madagascar Dr Maamar Khames Université de Médéa, Algérie Dr. Matios Lakew Researcher Animal Health Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia
12:55–13:05	How do countries build a Business Case for investment in ZTB	From a donor’s perspective. How to catalyze investment towards the implementation of ZTB Roadmap – towards a compelling business case	Dr Nick Juleff Deputy Director Gates Foundation
13:05–13:25	Q & A – Interactive discussion on how to scale up	Open round of discussion	All Speakers
13:25–13:30	Closing Remarks	Takeaway messages	Dr Gregorio Torres WOAH

Replay

Every year, wildlife faces silent but devastating threats from pharmaceuticals seeping into waterways, veterinary drugs disrupting ecosystems, and heavy metals like lead poisoning animals across the globe. Yet, behind these challenges lie groundbreaking solutions, scientific progress, and inspiring success stories that prove prevention is possible. On this World Wildlife Day on 3^rd March 2026, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) brought together leading experts to explore how science, policy, and education can turn the tide against toxic threats to biodiversity.

This one-hour webinar highlighted solutions and examples of positive outcomes that can be applied and implemented to protect wildlife health. We focused into three critical issues: the behavioral and ecological impacts of pharmaceutical pollution on aquatic species, the devastating yet reversible decline of vulture populations due to livestock NSAIDs and the global fight against lead toxicity, where the development of non-lead alternatives and regulatory processes are providing significant opportunities for health protection for wildlife, people and domestic animals. Each session showcased real-world solutions, from policy reforms to community-led conservation.

The webinar was offered in English with simultaneous translation in Spanish and French.

Agenda

Time	Topic	Speakers
12.00 – 12.05 pm	Opening remarks	Dr Billy Karesh Chair of the WOAH Working Group on Wildlife
12.05 – 12.15 pm	Effects of Phamaceutical Residues on Aquatic Animals: How Phamaceutical Pollution is Shaping Aquatic Behaviour and Biodiversity	Dr Mwansa Songe Member of the WOAH Working Group on Wildlife
12.15 – 12.25 pm	Use of NSAIDs in livestock and its impact on vulture population with examples of educational and regulatory solutions and success stories	Prof. Rhys Green Honorary Professor of Conservation Science in – Conservation Science Group Department of Zoology – Cambridge Conservation Initiative
12.25 – 12.35 pm	Lead poisoning of wildlife – the solution that benefits us all	Dr Ruth Cromie WWT Research Fellow, CMS COP-Appointed Councillor for Wildlife Health
12.35 – 12.50 pm	Discussion	All
12.50 – 1.00 pm	Conclusion	Alexandre Fediaevsky Head of the Preparedness and Resilience Department – WOAH

Presentation Download

Effects of Phamaceutical Residues on Aquatic Animals: How Phamaceutical Pollution is Shaping Aquatic Behaviour and Biodiversity

Use of NSAIDs in livestock and its impact on vulture populations with examples of
educational and regulatory solutions and success stories

Lead poisoning of wildlife – the solution that benefits us all

Replay

Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) of the world face several challenges in preventing and responding to avian influenza outbreaks, particularly among small holder poultry systems (SHPS), also referred to as backyard or village poultry systems. Low sensitivity surveillance systems in SHPS hinder early detection, thereby increasing the spread of the virus. Furthermore, conventional surveillance programmes often demand substantial and ongoing funding while lacking the flexibility to address the full range of disease surveillance needs in SHPS, particularly where resources are constrained.

In the 90th WOAH General Session in May 2023, following the animal health forum and technical item on avian influenza, Resolution No.28 was adopted that include the recommendation (Number 6) to support poultry keepers, particularly smallholders, in implementing correct usage of disease preventive and control tools, such as enhanced biosecurity, early identification of clinical signs, and reporting, to prevent the introduction and spread of HPAI. It was identified as a need to provide Members with practical surveillance guidelines targeting small-scale poultry farmers (backyard), tailored to the local socio-economic context.

To this end, WOAH has published the practical guideline on Surveillance of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza for Smallholder Poultry Systems in Resource-Limited Settings, tailored to local contexts, to safeguard farmers’ livelihoods and ensuring the stability of the poultry industry. The guidelines provide practical recommendations to assist Veterinary Authorities (VA) and Veterinary Services (VS) in designing surveillance programmes for the detection of HPAIV in SHPS, tailored to the needs and contexts of resource-limited settings.  

To present these guidelines, the launch webinar will be offered in English. The guidelines will also be made available in French and Spanish in due course.

Agenda

Time	Topic	Speakers
12.30 – 12.35pm	Opening remarks	Dr Baba Soumare WOAH DDG-Global Framework and Capacity Building
12.35 – 12.40pm	Drafting of the guidelines (Background and process)	Dr Gounalan Pavade Senior Scientific Coordinator, WOAH
12.40 – 13.10pm	Overview of the guidelines	Dr Sergio Guerrero Sanchez and Dr Angus Lam   Centre for Applied One Health Research and Policy Advice, City University of Hong Kong
13.10 – 13.20pm	Member’s experience  (HPAI surveillance in smallholder poultry systems – Asia)	Dr Sothyra Tum National Animal Health and Production Research Institute, Cambodia
13.20 – 13.30pm	Member’s experience (HPAI surveillance in smallholder poultry systems – Africa)	Dr Clement Meseko National Veterinary Research Institute, Nigeria
13.30 – 13.40pm	Member’s experience (HPAI surveillance in smallholder poultry systems – Americas)	Dr Christopher Hamilton-West University Chile, Chile
Q & A session (15m)
13.55 – 14.00pm	Next steps and closing	Dr Gregorio Torres Head Science department, WOAH