WOAH’s 2027–2031 strategic plan establishes three interconnected priorities that will reshape global disease surveillance and pandemic preparedness efforts. First, enhanced zoonotic disease surveillance across all 182 member countries will strengthen early detection capabilities, with particular focus on addressing surveillance gaps in resource-limited settings. Second, One Health integration will formalize coordination between animal health, human health, and environmental protection sectors—recognizing that infectious disease threats cannot be addressed through siloed approaches. Third, antimicrobial resistance prevention in veterinary medicine represents a critical intervention point, as inappropriate animal antibiotic use directly contributes to the emergence of resistant human pathogens.
For healthcare systems and public health authorities, these priorities signal the need for enhanced laboratory capacity, cross-sectoral collaboration frameworks, and investment in surveillance infrastructure. The strategic plan underscores that pandemic preparedness is fundamentally an animal health issue requiring coordinated international response.
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