Rome, 21 September 2026: Environment, animal and public health cannot be viewed as separate issues, said Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Abdul Awal Mintoo, MP. He stressed the need to advance all activities through an integrated consideration of people, animals, plants and ecosystems.
He made the remarks today, Monday, while addressing the opening session of the global conference on ‘Actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems’, which began at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy. At the conference, being held from 21 to 23 September, the Minister said the resilience of agrifood systems depends on the collective health of these interconnected domains.
The Minister said Bangladesh, situated in the densely populated and low-lying Ganges delta, remains highly vulnerable to climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. Because people, ecosystems and agrifood systems are closely connected within the same landscape, pressure on one sector quickly affects the others. Effective solutions cannot be achieved by considering environmental, animal and public health in isolation.
He said that for nearly two decades Bangladesh has been developing a framework that treats One Health not merely as a concept but as a principle of practical governance, with partnerships among institutions at its core. Drawing on this experience, Bangladesh is prioritising coordination, information sharing and accountability among the relevant ministries; the central inclusion of the environment and ecosystems in the One Health framework; and capacity-building at district and grassroots levels.
He added that planned institutional arrangements are needed to build lasting coordination among ministries. The formal recognition of the environment sector as a core stakeholder in Bangladesh’s national One Health framework is an important step forward. This partnership must be strengthened further through joint planning and shared resources. The Minister also expressed hope that the proposed One Health knowledge hub would play an effective role in enabling countries to exchange practical experience.
Referring to the conference as timely ahead of COP31, scheduled to be held in Antalya this November, Abdul Awal Mintoo said Bangladesh would carry the experience of the Rome discussions into the COP31 negotiations and work to build a more integrated global approach to climate and environmental health.
He reiterated Bangladesh’s readiness to share its progress and challenges while learning from other countries. He also emphasised the importance of translating the conference discussions into practical programmes, adequate financing and stronger capacity at the local level.
The opening session was attended by FAO Director-General Dongyu QU; President of Switzerland Guy Parmelin; Prime Minister of Tanzania Dr Mwigulu Lameck Nchemba; Prime Minister of Serbia Duro Macut; Minister of Health of Mozambique Ussene Hilario Isse; Minister of Agriculture of Cabo Verde Eveline Nair Monteiro Ramos; Minister of Agriculture of France Geneverd Annie; and Minister of Agriculture of Ireland T.D. Martin Heydon, along with ministers and senior representatives from various countries, heads of organisations and experts.