10 – 14 November 2025, Nadi, Fiji
Climate change and fragile health systems in the Pacific have fuelled a rise in diseases spread between animals and people, such as leptospirosis, brucellosis & bovine tuberculosis (TB). These challenges demand more collaboration.
Pacific island countries are embracing the One Health approach, bringing together human, animal and environmental health sectors to identify the most pressing threats and create joint action plans.
Earlier this month, over 40 technical officers from nine Pacific Island countries met in Nadi for a regional One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritisation (OHZDP) workshop to strengthen their ability to detect, prevent and respond to diseases that threaten our people, animals and the environment.
The OHZDP is one of the world's most collaborative health processes, using a multisectoral One Health approach to identify the most important zoonotic diseases and plan joint actions to control them.
This is also the first-ever OHZDP workshop held in the Pacific, organised by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and facilitated by their key partner, Health Security Partners (HSP), through SPC's Strengthening Global Health Security in the Pacific Islands project in partnership with the U.S. Government.
The five-day event equipped participants with tools to jointly identify diseases of greatest concern in their countries and plan a multisectoral approach to prevent and mitigate outbreaks.
The participants, of whom 35% were women, represented ministries and agencies responsible for human health, agriculture, livestock, wildlife, environment and disaster response.
SPC's Natural Resources Management Programme (NRMP) Team Leader under the Land Resources Division, Sidney Suma, highlighted the growing need for One Health cooperation as communities in the Pacific continue to face rising climate risks and increased vulnerability to zoonotic disease threats.
"Through this workshop, we aim to build regional capacity to facilitate OHZDP processes, enabling countries to identify and prioritise zoonotic diseases and to develop multisectoral action plans using a One Health approach."
He reminded participants that not only is this a technical exercise, but it also demonstrates SPC's commitment to country ownership, sustainability, and regional solidarity. He added, "The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, has reinforced the need for coordinated preparedness across ministries and sectors."
Throughout the week, participants reflected on the challenges communities faced during an outbreak, including the slow or delayed flow of information, limited cross-sector coordination and having small teams spread across the vast island geographies.
Many shared personal experiences responding to natural disasters, animal disease threats, public health emergencies and discussed ways to improve collaboration.
The first day I familiarised myself with One Health initiatives across the Pacific and it’s given me a good idea of how we have similar and the same diseases that are zoonotic in nature. In Vanuatu, we meet and discuss zoonotic diseases, but here, we collaborate with other Pacific Island countries to really understand this.
Kaltuk Kalomor, Lab Technician, Animal Health Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Vanuatu
Some of the key lessons include tools that can be implemented when following our action plans, enabling us to tackle One Health initiatives already in place. The tools introduced during this week can be used back home to strengthen our One Health efforts.
Emau Toluono, Weather Forecaster, Disaster Management Office, Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment, Samoa
We are going to introduce the One Health Initiative into the WASH committee back in Tonga so they have an idea of what One Health is and how important it is to our government of Tonga. After that meeting, then we can look at launching One Health.
Sela Fao, Chief Environmental Health Officer, Tonga
It's quite important because we are working towards a One Health approach. And it's a chance for me, especially in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to learn about this especially in terms of collaborative surveillance, so that we can go back and work with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, which is the ministry that’s leading the One Health approach.
Robert Palmer, Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock, Solomon Islands
Firstly, the information shared, and the technical practices presented by other countries on how they formed their One Health mechanisms are very useful for us. We have not yet established one, so we are here to learn how other countries have set theirs up, and to understand the practices they use, so we can adopt and contextualise them to our own setting.
Christine Lifuka, Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health, Tuvalu
I think going back to implement some of the key takeaways would be around developing or establishing a prioritization disease list. This is something that the Ministry of Health and the Department of Livestock or biosecurity could collaborate more on to address. So that when it comes to deploy for rapid response teams or investigation, we are all on the same page, knowing which diseases are on the priority list to address.
Joanne Mariasua, Senior Surveillance Officer, Ministry of Health, Vanuatu
Young professionals’ participation at this event also gave an opportunity to the youths working in the One Health space to contribute, add value and receive knowledge on the OHZDP process.
With 33% youth representation, the programme ensured that the next generation of Pacific technical leaders were actively involved in shaping future health security efforts for the region.
Always engage other ministries and agencies. The One Health approach is crucial here in the Pacific, and in Fiji in particular. We are small island countries, and we are increasingly vulnerable to adverse weather events as the impacts of climate change worsen. We will likely see more cyclones, and when they strike, we must be able to work together to protect human life, ensure well-being, and safeguard food security, livestock, and the environment.
Isikeli Newton, Medical Officer, Fiji Centre for Disease Control (CDC), Ministry of Health & Medical Services, Fiji
This is the first time I have joined a One Health workshop, and from what I’ve experienced, I’ve seen a lot of collaboration, especially with my colleagues from Kiribati who attended with me. We also had the opportunity to interact and collaborate with our brothers and sisters from other Pacific Island countries. We learned from their perspectives and from the One Health approaches they have adopted in their own countries. It has not only been my first time participating, but also a valuable opportunity for me to explore the One Health approach more deeply, and to understand that in Kiribati, we need to work more closely with other health stakeholders.
Olive Kabuati, Health Inspector, Ministry of Health, Kiribati
Participants collaborated in country-based groups to design practical, people-centred priorities and outlined next steps to improve coordination, including early warning systems, joint communication protocols, shared field investigations and stronger community engagement.
The OHZDP workshop also demonstrates SPC’s value of equity, inclusion, partnership and Pacific-led solutions, ensuring participants shape their own national priorities and outcomes based on the realities from their communities.
Wrapping up the week, each country presented a draft action plan focused on improving One Health coordination in their home country while contributing to broader regional health security efforts across the Pacific.
The Global Health Security Project will continue to collaborate with Pacific island countries on this initiative supported by the U.S. Government. In the next phase, it will include ongoing mentorship, technical support, and the preparation for national prioritization workshops planned for 2026. This aligns with the U.S. Government’s commitment through the America First Global Health Strategy to strengthen global health systems and protect communities from emerging threats which involves enhancing disease surveillance and outbreak response, ultimately aiming to prevent pandemics.
The OHZDP workshop marks an important regional milestone in building a healthier, safer and more resilient Pacific where communities are protected by collaboration and not in isolation.
