The National Bridging Workshop (NBW) took place in Nicosia, Cyprus, from 4 to 6 November, bringing together national stakeholders from the animal health, human health and environment sectors to strengthen collaboration at the animal-human-environment interface in the prevention, detection and control of health threats.
The NBW is part of a joint WHO-WOAH approach to promoting a One Health perspective and strengthening collaboration between human and animal health systems. Its participatory methodology combines group exercises, simulation scenarios, discussions and innovative facilitation tools to assess existing strengths and gaps in multisectoral coordination.
A key outcome of the workshop is the identification of strengths and weaknesses in the coordination between animal and human health services across 16 technical areas. Building on this assessment, participants develop a realistic joint roadmap of activities to improve multisectoral collaboration in the coming years.
The NBW in Cyprus marks an important milestone in the implementation of this activity across the region. For the first time, reports and recommendations from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)’s Health Emergency Preparedness Assessment (PHEPA) and the European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE)’s Health and Food Audits and Analyses (HFAA) were incorporated into the NBW process. This represents a valuable example for other European countries seeking to build on existing assessments and strengthen coordination across sectors.
The workshop featured online opening remarks from representatives of the WOAH Sub-Regional Representation in Brussels, the WHO Country Office, the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, as well as the environmental sector. Presentations by representatives of DG SANTE and ECDC further contributed to the discussions. Facilitation and moderation were provided by colleagues from FAO, WHO and WOAH, representing country, subregional and regional offices.
By integrating existing assessment findings into the NBW process, Cyprus has taken an important step towards strengthening multisectoral collaboration and advancing a coordinated approach to health threats at the animal-human-environment interface.
