UNESCO has opened a One Health Thematic Call under the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024–2033). It invites governments, universities, NGOs, companies and individual scientists to submit initiatives that link human, animal, plant and ecosystem health. Selected initiatives get official UNESCO Science Decade endorsement, global visibility and the right to use the Decade logo.
Deadline: 3 December 2026. Note: this is an endorsement, not a grant. There’s no funding, so your initiative must already have its own resources.
Key Details
- Organiser: UNESCO (Secretariat of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development)
- Type: thematic call for endorsement
- Theme: One Health: human, animal, plant and environmental health, food systems and ecosystems
- Open to: organisations and individual scientists worldwide
- Funding: none (recognition only)
- Deadline: 3 December 2026
What Is One Health?
One Health recognises that the health of people, animals, plants and the environment is closely linked: think zoonotic diseases like Ebola and mpox, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and climate impacts on health. The call aligns with the Quadripartite One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022–2029) of FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH.
Benefits
- official endorsement under UNESCO’s International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development
- visibility on the Decade platform and in scientific, policy and implementation networks
- permission to use the Science Decade logo (under its rules)
- credibility that can help when approaching funders, partners and governments
What Kind of Initiatives Qualify?
- scientific conferences and workshops
- training courses
- publications
- science communication activities
- research and implementation projects that bridge science, policy and practice
Eligibility
- Member States and national governments
- universities and research institutions
- UN agencies and intergovernmental organisations
- civil society organisations and NGOs
- foundations and eligible private-sector actors
- multi-stakeholder consortia
- individual scientists acting as applicants or lead contacts
Endorsed initiatives must report progress regularly through the Decade platform, share data and results openly in line with the 2021 UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, and follow the logo-use rules.
How to Apply
- Complete the official UNESCO One Health thematic call submission form.
- Describe your initiative’s objectives, implementation arrangements, funding, timeframe, expected results and monitoring plan, in proportion to its size.
- Submit before 3 December 2026.
Tips for African Applicants
- Use it to add credibility to an existing project, such as a zoonoses surveillance study, an AMR awareness campaign or a One Health training course.
- Show clear funding: endorsement won’t pay for activities, so explain how you’re resourced.
- Highlight cross-sector work linking health, veterinary, agriculture and environment teams.
- Commit to open data; it’s a requirement for endorsement.
The form is hosted on UNESCO’s official Microsoft account; call details are from UNESCO’s announcement as summarised by After School Africa.
