Macron Pledges Action on One Health at Ninth Summit

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a new set of commitments to advance the One Health approach, pledging stronger integration of human, animal, and environmental health policies during the ninth One Health Summit held in Lyon on April 18, 2026.

The summit, convened by international health and environmental organizations, brought together government officials, scientists, and public health experts to address growing threats from zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and ecosystem degradation. Macron emphasized that France will increase funding for interdisciplinary research and strengthen surveillance systems across sectors to detect emerging health threats earlier.

Among the specific pledges, Macron committed to expanding France’s national One Health coordination unit, which will operate under the joint authority of the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, and Ecological Transition. The unit will be tasked with aligning outbreak response protocols, sharing laboratory data in real time, and developing joint risk assessments for pathogens with pandemic potential.

The president also announced plans to invest €150 million over the next five years in research programs focused on pathogen spillover dynamics, particularly in regions where wildlife habitats intersect with intensive livestock farming and urban expansion. This includes support for field studies in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, where previous outbreaks such as Nipah virus and Ebola have originated.

Macron pledged to strengthen France’s role in global One Health governance by advocating for a binding international agreement under the World Health Organization’s framework. He called for clearer accountability mechanisms and equitable access to diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics for low- and middle-income countries.

The commitments build on France’s existing involvement in the Global One Health Partnership, launched in 2022, and align with recommendations from the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), which jointly promote the One Health framework as essential for preventing future pandemics.

Experts at the summit welcomed the announcements but noted that translating policy pledges into sustained action will require long-term political commitment and cross-sectoral budgeting. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, former Chief Scientist at the WHO and a panelist at the summit, stressed that “One Health only works when data systems are interconnected and when incentives are aligned across health, agriculture, and environment ministries.”

She added that while financial investments are critical, success also depends on training a workforce capable of operating across disciplinary boundaries — veterinarians trained in epidemiology, physicians familiar with ecological drivers of disease, and environmental scientists versed in public health surveillance.

The Lyon summit concluded with a joint declaration signed by over 30 national governments and regional organizations, reaffirming the One Health approach as a cornerstone of global pandemic preparedness. The declaration calls for regular high-level meetings, standardized reporting on zoonotic disease risks, and increased support for wildlife health monitoring as an early warning system.

Macron’s office confirmed that the French government will publish a detailed implementation roadmap by September 2026, outlining milestones for interministerial coordination, research funding allocation, and international engagement. The plan will be reviewed annually by an independent panel of experts from the Institut Pasteur, Cirad, and ANSES, France’s agency for food, environmental, and occupational health safety.

As climate change accelerates habitat disruption and increases human-wildlife contact, public health officials warn that the risk of novel pathogen emergence is growing. The One Health approach, they argue, offers the most coherent strategy to address these interconnected threats — not by treating human health in isolation, but by recognizing its deep dependence on the health of animals and ecosystems.