We encourage Members to collaborate with their counterparts in the ministries of environment and public health to submit joint proposals for the Fund that underscore the importance of the One Health approach and the critical role of Veterinary Services in the whole of government, whole of society approach to reduce health threats.

Expression of Interest
Nature for Health Trust Fund
August 2022

The Role of National Veterinary Services and the World Organisation for Animal Health

The Nature for Health (N4H) Initiative has issued an Expression of Interest invitation package for countries to join the first phase of the Initiative. The EoI invitation package includes an invitation letter, materials introducing the initiative, an online application form (along with a downloadable version), with guidance for applicants and eligibility criteria, such as inclusion on the OECD DAC list_.

Nature for Health (N4H) is a multi-partner trust fund working to prevent zoonotic spillovers by strengthening the environmental aspects of One Health, an inter-sectoral, interdisciplinary approach that focuses on where the health of people, animals and environments converge. 

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) is a key partner of the consortium leading the project along with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) the UN Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), World Health Organization (WHO), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and EcoHealth Alliance, who bring extensive multisectoral and diverse One Health practical experiences.

N4H is hosted by the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTFO) and the Secretariat is based at UNEP in Nairobi, Kenya. More information, including the expression of interest package, is available on the project website (www.nature4health.net).

Middle- and low-income countries are eligible to apply to the Fund. In the first phase of the project, up to five 5 jurisdictions with balance of regions, issues and structures will be selected. Over the 3-year timeframe, approximately US$2 million will be invested in each country through the consortium partners. 

Application process

Governments are invited to choose their project scope, for example selecting a national application, a regional application (together with other countries or a regional body enabled to set policy) or a sub-national application, depending on size, needs and priorities.

Interested governments should complete an application form which will gather information about how their country/jurisdiction is: 1) experiencing perceived biodiversity threats, 2) establishing policies and action on preventative One Health approaches, and 3) their future interests and commitment to the integration and implementation of One Health approaches. 

The deadline for submission is 21 October 2022. Applications require a letter of government endorsement from at least two ministries to indicate commitment to cross-sectoral engagement. 

Applications will be reviewed by the independent Technical Advisory Group and final selection by N4H Steering Committee will be done by end of October 2022. Countries will be informed about the application outcome in early November 2022. Selected partner countries will be invited to initiate their work plan before the end of December 2022.

We encourage Members to collaborate with their counterparts in the ministries of environment and public health to submit joint proposals for the Fund that underscore the importance of the One Health approach and the critical role of Veterinary Services in the whole of government, whole of society approach to reduce health threats.

To support candidate countries, N4H will offer webinars to address any queries. The Secretariat and Consortium Partners will answer questions, facilitate engagement, and provide support.

Should the Delegates require any additional information meanwhile, please contact: Dr Chadia Wannous, WOAH One Health Global Coordinator at c.wannous@woah.org.

Appendices: Expression of Interest invitation package

The designations and denominations employed and the presentation of the material in this article do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE)  concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers and boundaries.
The views expressed in this article are solely the responsibility of the author(s). The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by WOAH in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.