Women for One Health (WfOH) at the World One Health Congress

From September 20 to 24, the Women for One Health (WfOH) Team attended the World One Health Congress in Cape Town. Our three partner Secretariats at the Center for One Health, University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda (Director: Dr. Phaedra Henley), the Centre for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, University of Nairobi, Kenya (Director: Dr. Lilian Waiboci, Community Manager: Hellen Kariuki), and the Center for Global Health and Department of Neurology, Technical University of Munich (Co(joint)-Founding Director: Prof. Dr. Dr. Andrea Winkler, Community Manager: Kim Weiszhar) together with our Co(joint)-Founding Director Dr. Heidi Auerswald organized the WfOH participation at the Congress. Our WfOH panel, held as part of the morning sessions on September 21, focused on the theme “Integrating Diversity and Equity in One Health.” Moderated by Prof. Salome Bukachi (University of Nairobi), the panel featured diverse speakers including Cat McGillycuddy (UK Health Security Agency), Claudia Robbiati (Sapienza University of Rome), Dr. Lilian Waiboci (University of Nairobi), Dr. Phaedra Henley, Dr. Anselme Shyaka (both from the University of Global Health Equity), and Dr. Heidi Auerswald(Institut Pasteur du Cambodge). The panel focused on the essential role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the effective implementation of a One Health (OH) approach. Discussions centered around key questions such as why equity and inclusion are crucial to OH, how to approach diversity in the OH field, and how to actively support women and other underserved groups. The conversation aimed to identify and overcome barriers to DEI, highlighting the need for a more inclusive and representative OH framework. At lunchtime, we organized a network get-together, where we had the opportunity to connect and exchange ideas. It was a great chance to meet in person and share experiences! Additionally, our two community managers, Hellen Kariuki and Kim Weiszhar, presented our poster on the evening of September 21st. Many thanks to everyone who participated, and especially to our amazing WfOH Team. A special thank you goes to our funder, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), for their ongoing support, which has been essential to our achievements.