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We held the second webinar from the WWS for Africa webinar series. 

This time we explored how different actors—like professionals working in public health, the environment, or water services—can come together to track, analyse and respond to potential health risks found by conducting wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES) activities. The One Health approach shows how people, animals, and the environment are all connected. 

The session shared real-life examples from across Africa, showing how working together across different sectors can help communities stay healthier and better protect the environment.

By joining forces, we can catch problems sooner and protect nature and people.

The session was held on 25 September 2025 and over 200 participants attended it.

Watch the recording:

In case you missed the first webinar introducing the topic of wastewater surveillance, you can watch it online here

More info:

This webinar series is part of the Wastewater Surveillance for Africa Initiative. The Initiative aims to strengthen systems for wastewater and environmental surveillance across the African region and equip countries with the technical and human capacity to use these systems for protecting environmental and public health.  It started in July 2024 and will be implemented through 2026 together with key partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and with the financial support of the European Union Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA). It is aligned with the goals of the Global Consortium for Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance for Public Health (GLOWACON), the Libreville Declaration on Health and Environment in Africa, the One Health Quadripartite Joint Plan of Action, and the UNEP-WHO Health and Environment Strategic Alliance (HESA)

UNEP Global Wastewater Initiative:  The Global Wastewater Initiative (GWWI) is a multi-stakeholder partnership launched by UNEP in 2013. Its purpose is to address wastewater-related issues, prompt coordinated action and encourage new investments for sustainable wastewater management. The GWWI intends to bring about a paradigm shift in the way wastewater is seen, from waste to a resource, and prevent further pollution and degradation of our aquatic environment.

Join the partnership: click here to apply!

WHO: The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 150 field offices worldwide.

With financial support from:

EU DG HERA: The Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority’s (HERA) mission is to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to health emergencies. HERA was launched as a new European Commission Directorate-General on 16 September 2021, and carries out the Commission’s policies related to health preparedness and crisis response and ensuring the resilience of healthcare systems across Europe. 

Please contact taru.miller@un.org and josephine.nduguti@un.org for more information.