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Panama held a high-level meeting on May 11 aimed at strengthening the implementation of the "One Health" strategy, an initiative that seeks to coordinate the human health, animal health, and environmental sectors to comprehensively address current and future health challenges. The meeting brought together the Ministers of Agricultural Development, Health, and Foreign Affairs, along with representatives from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the Ministry of Environment, among other institutions.
The Minister of Agricultural Development, Roberto Linares, emphasized the sector's responsibility in protecting animal health, ensuring food safety, and promoting the responsible use of antimicrobials. The Ministry of Health stressed that the effective implementation of this approach requires political leadership and ongoing coordination among government institutions, international organizations, academia, and civil society.
As a concrete result of the meeting, the draft Executive Decree for the creation of a National Interdisciplinary, Intersectoral, and Multisectoral Technical Committee for "One Health" was presented. This committee will serve as a national coordination platform for the implementation of the strategy. The agenda also included identifying opportunities for technical and financial cooperation for the development of the national plan.
The context that motivates the initiative is the growing complexity of risks associated with emerging and re-emerging diseases, environmental degradation, and the effects of climate change- factors that demand responses that transcend traditional sectoral models.
May 11, 2026/ Ministry of Agricultural Development/ Panama.
https://mida.gob.pa/
