A comprehensive global consultation has identified integrated surveillance systems as the top priority for future One Health research, according to a new evidence brief and report from CABI’s One Health Hub. Conducted by Oxford Systematic Reviews (OXSREV) as part of the Juno Evidence Alliance, the One Health Horizon Scanning exercise highlights the need for collaborative systems uniting experts in human, livestock, agricultural, and ecosystem health to enable early detection, community engagement, and rapid response to health threats.
The consultation, involving over 400 stakeholders from academia, government, NGOs, and international organizations, pinpointed five key research priorities: integrated surveillance, climate change and emerging diseases, governance mechanisms, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and socio-environmental drivers of disease. The findings, derived from regional surveys, workshops, and a focus on Africa and Asia, underscore the importance of context-specific research to guide effective One Health strategies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
The report recommends a multi-track roadmap to advance these priorities, emphasizing investment in shared goals, inclusive participation, and intergenerational capacity building. Regional variations in priorities were evident: African stakeholders prioritized governance and surveillance due to gaps in public health infrastructure, while European and North American respondents focused on predictive modeling and zoonotic risk forecasting. Younger and older participants highlighted equity, education, and indigenous knowledge integration, whereas academics emphasized transdisciplinarity and decolonization, and governments prioritized practical tools and efficiency.
Gender differences also emerged, with female respondents placing greater emphasis on decolonization, indigenous knowledge, and environmental justice, while male respondents leaned toward technical surveillance and AMR control. To address these diverse needs, the report advocates for regional customization through platforms that adapt global strategies to local contexts, alongside fostering cross-sectoral collaboration and leveraging regional champions to drive policy implementation.
The study underscores the need to break down sectoral silos, translating conceptual research into operational tools and training for decision-makers. It also calls for investment in platforms, processes, and partnerships to balance coordinated global action with local flexibility. Funded by UK International Development, the findings will inform a forthcoming One Health research roadmap by CABI’s One Health Hub. A webinar to discuss these results, hosted with the FAO’s One Health Knowledge Nexus, is scheduled for 14 November 2025 at 13:00 GMT.
Full report reference
Petrokofsky, G., Harvey, W.J., Petrokofsky, L., Savilaakso, S. One Health Horizon Scanning: Contribution to Road Map.
https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/epdf/10.1079/junoreports.2025.0003
