International Day for Biological Diversity Webinar:
Integrating Biodiversity and Health: Insights from the IPBES Nexus Assessment and One Health Approaches in Asia and the Pacific
22 May 2025, 10:00 – 11:30 am (GMT+7), Online (Zoom)
Background
The International Day for Biological Diversity, observed annually on 22 May, offers a vital opportunity to raise awareness and promote understanding of biodiversity issues worldwide. To mark this occasion, the Regional Quadripartite for Asia and the Pacific, led by the United National Environment Programme (UNEP) Asia and the Pacific Office, will host a webinar to highlight the interconnectedness between biodiversity, health and sustainable development.
This year’s event is particularly timely. At the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) held in Cali, Colombia, in 2024, the international community adopted the Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health, recognizing the critical role biodiversity plays in supporting health and to support the integration of health-related considerations into the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The Action Plan underscores the need for coordinated policies that integrate biodiversity and health objectives across sectors.
The growing recognition of the interconnectedness between biodiversity and health, as well as the need for a cross-sectoral approach are also reflected in the comprehensive definition of One Health introduced by the One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) that specifies One Health as an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems. Since 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) have been working together as the Quadripartite using the One Health approach to address issues at the human-animal-environment interface, including a regional coordination in Asia and the Pacific. In addition, in April 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) Member States concluded negotiations on a historic Pandemic Agreement, emphasizing the One Health approach—an integrated framework recognizing the interconnected health of humans, animals, and ecosystems.
Against this backdrop, the Regional Quadripartite partners will introduce findings from the newly approved Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES) Nexus Assessment, providing insights into the critical links between biodiversity, food, water, and health, and highlight how the role of a One Health approach, as reflected in the Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health, could help address current and future animal and public health threats and environmental degradation. This webinar seeks to bridge science, policy, and practice to support these goals.
Objectives
- Introduce the IPBES Nexus Assessment and its key findings relevant to biodiversity, food, water, and health interlinkages.
- Highlight the critical relationship between biodiversity and health, emphasizing the role of healthy ecosystems in supporting health and well-being of people and animals.
- Showcase the role of One Health in addressing biodiversity and health linkages through regional best practices and case studies from Asia and the Pacific.
- Facilitate dialogue and knowledge exchange among policymakers, scientists, and practitioners to promote integrated approaches in policy and practice.
Target Audience
The intended audience for the webinar includes policymakers from the Asia-Pacific region, as well as experts from environment, human health, animal health (livestock and wildlife), and urban planning sectors. It also targets academics and researchers, representatives from international organizations and development partners, and leaders from civil society and local communities engaged in biodiversity and health-related initiatives.
Expected Outcomes
- Strengthened awareness of the scientific evidence on the vital interlinkages between biodiversity and health.
- Increased visibility and uptake of One Health approaches at the national and regional level.
- Enhanced awareness of different perspectives and experience on One Health and health nexus in Asia and the Pacific region.
Contact Information
For further information, please contact: Yujeong Kim (yujeong.kim@un.org), Makiko Yashiro (yashiro@un.org), and Nadisha Sidhu (nadisha.sidhu@un.org), UNEP Asia and the Pacific Office
