Commissioner Seung-Kwan Lim Attends 'One Health Summit' Hosted by France

Korea's One Health Strategy and Inter-Ministerial Cooperation System for Responding to Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced on the 8th that Commissioner Seung-Kwan Lim attended the 'One Health Summit' held in Lyon, France the previous day. There, he emphasized the need to strengthen international cooperation in the One Health sector, including responses to zoonotic infectious diseases, and introduced Korea's policy experiences and inter-ministerial cooperation system.

On the 7th (local time), at the ministerial panel discussion of the One Health Summit held in Lyon, France, Seung-Kwan Lim, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, spoke. On the 8th, the agency announced that it emphasized the need to strengthen international cooperation in the One Health field, including response to zoonotic infectious diseases, and introduced Korea's policy experience and inter-agency cooperation system.

One Health is a public health paradigm that emphasizes a multidisciplinary and integrated approach based on the concept that the health of people, animals, and the environment are interdependent.

This summit was a high-level meeting hosted by France, the G7 presidency country for this year. Around 20 countries and major international organizations participated, discussing key One Health-related topics such as hosts and vectors of zoonotic infectious diseases, sustainable food systems, antimicrobial resistance, and exposure to pollutants.

Commissioner Seung-Kwan Lim attended the 'hosts and vectors of zoonotic infectious diseases' session during the ministerial thematic discussions, where he highlighted the importance of the One Health approach as a core strategy to respond to future risks such as climate change and pandemics. He also expressed gratitude to the French government for organizing the summit on One Health and noted the significance of sharing Korea's policies and experiences as an invited G7 country.

During the G7 Health Working Group (HWG) meetings held on the 8th and 9th, sessions on antimicrobial resistance and pandemic preparedness and response will share Korea's government-wide One Health response system and medium- to long-term strategies for emerging infectious diseases. In addition, the need to expand cooperation and collaboration with the international community to strengthen global capacities for antimicrobial resistance and pandemic preparedness will also be presented.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency evaluated that participation in this summit provided an opportunity for Korea to actively engage in major discussions related to One Health and global health security, reaffirming the nation's commitment to policy contributions and cooperation in responding to zoonotic infectious diseases in the international community.

Commissioner Seung-Kwan Lim stated, "To prepare for climate change and future pandemics, an all-encompassing One Health approach that includes people, animals, and the environment is essential. Based on the policy experiences we have accumulated so far, we will continue to strengthen cooperation with the international community and actively participate in efforts to enhance global health security."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.