Dossiers

The One Health approach recognises the interdependence of animals, humans and the environment through transdisciplinary cooperation in public health systems.

Researchers at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) work closely with partners at Jigjiga University in the Somali Region. Their common goal is to improve health service delivery for pastoral and agropastoral communities in Ethiopia.

Nowhere in the world is as much research per capita conducted on One Health as in Switzerland. Nor, as a policy brief by the Institute of Global Health notes, exist as many organisations that engage with One Health anywhere else.

As co-director of The Lancet One Health Commission, Ghanian epidemiologist John H. Amuasi is at the forefront of shaping the One Health agenda. He advocates a slow but radical transformation of the economy, global health policy and education.

The world population has reached eight billion people. Experts agree that food for all can only be ensured in the long term if the system undergoes transformation. This, they say, is the only way to protect the food system from the consequences of wars, pandemics or climate change.

The Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) has adopted a cross-cutting approach to support a circular economy project to improve food security and living conditions in the urban areas around four African cities.

Millions of people in north-eastern Nigeria suffer from violence perpetrated by Islamic militias. The SDC supports highly vulnerable households in Yobe with small cash amounts to enable them to eat healthy food and build new livelihoods.

"Our current food system does not only produce food, but also violence," says Michael Fakhri, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food. He urgently calls for a new (trade) system.

Deadly conflicts have been raging in Africa’s Great Lakes region for decades.  Women especially are paying a heavy price: unspeakable atrocities have been committed against them. But they are getting back on their feet, supporting each other and working for peace.

Psychologist Simon Gasibirege established community-based workshops for mental health in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda to alleviate the trauma and rebuild the country's social fabric. In this interview he talks about how the approach has helped to rekindle hope in a population traumatised by decades of conflict. He also explains why women are more resilient.

Over a decade ago, the SDC launched a psycho-social programme in Africa's Great Lakes region to end the cycle of violence and protect women. A holistic approach provides survivors with medical, psycho-social, financial and legal support. Group therapy fosters community healing, and workshops for men challenge and transform gender roles.

Women traders in Burundi, the DR Congo and Rwanda have joined hands to expand cross-border activities. These enhance their financial independence while also increasing trade between the countries and contributing to mutual understanding and peace.

In Rwanda, mediation committees are entrusted with settling local disputes. They derive from reconciliation mechanisms going back hundreds of years and help resolve countless conflicts before these end up in court. A growing number of women on such committees are developing skills that are being widely recognised.

The diversity of species and ecosystems on our planet is declining rapidly. For over 30 years, the world's nations have been trying to halt the progressive destruction of the environment through multilateral cooperation. But so far, they have met with little success. A new global framework containing clear-cut goals and indicators aims to revitalise efforts to protect and restore biodiversity. This could also be key to delivering the 2030 Agenda and achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The African continent is rich in flora and fauna, and unique ecosystems. It plays a key role in the conservation of global biodiversity. However, Mariam Mayet, Executive Director of the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), warns that indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers are being driven off their land in order to promote nature conservation. She calls for a fundamental rethink of the whole system.

Hunger and malnutrition are widespread in many parts of Africa and Asia. An international collaborative project aims to improve the situation of local people using traditional crops.