In May 2026, two major global health events took place in the same week: the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) in Geneva and the 93rd General Session of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH93) in Paris.
As WHA79 opened, the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda was declared a public health emergency of international concern. This came just days after Hantavirus had been dominating the news. Both are diseases of animal origin, and so is COVID-19.
The pattern is not new, but the world is still largely responding to these crises after they happen rather than addressing the base conditions to prevent pathogens from jumping from animals to humans in the first place.
Bridging this gap requires recognising the link between how we treat animals, the environment, and our own health, which underpins the One Health approach and makes both assemblies so relevant for animals.
Watch our Debrief session on the global health negotiations to learn more about the key outcomes for animals.
Animal welfare included in the updated AMR Global Action Plan
One of the headline outcomes from WHA79 was the adoption of an updated Global Action Plan (GAP) on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The original plan dates back to 2015 and had lapsed; this updated version was developed over the past year and a half and was adopted with the endorsement of the Quadripartite organisations (WHO, WOAH, Food & Agriculture Organization, and UN Environment Programme), reflecting the cross-sectoral nature of AMR.
The updated plan now has six strategic pillars, up from five. The most significant change for the animal welfare sector is in the prevention pillar. Previously named ‘infection prevention and control’, the pillar now uses broader language that explicitly covers all sectors, including animal health. More specifically, it references FAO’s RENOFARM 5G framework, which names good animal welfare as one of the approaches to containing AMR.
“Member states had previously treated animal welfare, biosecurity, and vaccination as interchangeable, which is not accurate. Animal welfare is a foundation that determines whether others work at all.”
– Dr Masika Sophie, WFA
Animals kept in poor conditions, such as inadequate housing, poor ventilation, and limited access to veterinary services, are more susceptible to disease, and the effectiveness of vaccines is compromised. Addressing AMR means addressing the conditions in which animals live, rather than restricting the use of medicines only after problems arise.
Attention now turns to implementation. Countries will need to translate the global plan into National Action Plans that reflect what animal welfare means in their specific context.
Pandemic Agreement implementation begins while PABS annex negotiations continue
The WHO Pandemic Agreement, adopted in 2025, was a recurring reference point at WHA79. It is the first legally binding instrument to capture the One Health approach, meaning governments agreed to design disease prevention strategies that recognise the connection between human, animal, and environmental health.
This matters for animals because those strategies will include measures to protect them, identify high-risk settings where diseases could jump from animals to humans, and engage communities in designing solutions.
“Prevention at source means thinking about the earliest stage at which a pathogen could jump from animals to humans; whether in wildlife trade, in farming settings, or at the boundaries between wild and domesticated animals. Protecting those interfaces means protecting animals and their environments, which also contributes to biodiversity protection, climate action, reversing desertification, and, consequently, human health.”
– Nina Jamal, FOUR PAWS
Negotiations on the agreement’s Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex were supposed to conclude this year, but governments agreed on extending them with the aim of concluding before the next Assembly. The annex determines how pathogen data is shared, and how vaccines, technology, research and capacity are distributed to countries that need them most during an outbreak.
Governments do not need to wait for the annex to be completed, since the resolution tied to the Pandemic Agreement’s adoption in 2025 already committed member states to start implementation. Plus, global leaders are coming together in September to negotiate a UN Political Declaration specifically on pandemic prevention. This represents another opportunity to anchor animal welfare in global health decisions.
A long-debated article on poultry stunning is adopted
At this year’s WOAH General Session, the standout outcome on animal welfare was the adoption of Article 7.5.30 of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code, which had remained under study since the rest of the chapter on animal welfare during slaughter was adopted in 2024.
The article concerns the parameters for electrical water-bath stunning of poultry. While low electrical frequencies are highly effective at inducing unconsciousness, they can cause painful muscle contractions and reduce carcass quality. Conversely, high frequencies improve meat quality but risk merely immobilising birds while leaving them conscious during slaughter. The article was adopted with wording that gives preference to lower frequencies to safeguard animal welfare.
“The adoption of Article 7.5.30 represents a clear prioritisation of animal welfare over industry interests. Animals experiencing stress at slaughter undergo physiological responses that can increase pathogen release and contamination risks during processing. Effective stunning is not only an animal welfare requirement, it is also a food safety measure and a public health concern.”
– Julia Havenstein, Animals’ Angels
During the General Session, the chair of the discussion emphasised that while WOAH standards serve as recommendations, they provide a foundation for countries to shape their own strategic paths. This allows governments to embrace the standards as an investment in the future rather than an external mandate.
Looking ahead
During the health negotiations, governments showed a growing global recognition that good animal welfare is directly linked to animal health and disease prevention, affecting food safety and, ultimately, human health.
There is reason for hope: governments are starting to implement a One Health approach, investing in health for all, and recognising that prevention is not a cost but an investment in the future.
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