The First Cuban "One Health" Congress concludes successfully

Images via the PCC

By Isabel Díaz González, translated from the Spanish

The First Cuban "One Health" Congress held within the context of the V International Convention "Cuba-Salud 2025", concluded Thursday (April 24) with a call for cooperation and integrated efforts to optimize the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment. The closing ceremony was attended by Susely Morfa González, member of the Party Central Committee and head of the Department of Social Sector Care, and Dr. José Ángel Portal Miranda, Cuban Minister of Health.

"The First Cuban "One Health" Congress concludes today, serving as a starting point for addressing, in a much more cohesive, transformative, and profoundly humane way, the many and diverse challenges that the 21st century imposes on us as we strive to guarantee health for all," the minister stated.

From the Havana Convention Center, he highlighted the importance of the event, held as part of the 5th International Convention Cuba Health 2025. During these intense days, he said, we have shared knowledge, research, experiences, and strategies, from a perspective that recognizes what reality empathically reflects, even when it is not echoed equally in all regions of the planet: that human health, animal health, and the health of ecosystems are inextricably linked.

This meeting demonstrated that when knowledge and action converge in common goals, paths emerge that are capable of transforming, rebuilding, and protecting for the good of all.

Portal Miranda explained: "In a world where 75% of emerging diseases originate in animals, where antibiotic resistance could kill 10 million people annually by 2050, and where climate change is exacerbating the health crisis, the approach championed by the 'One Health' paradigm has ceased to be an option and has become a necessity for survival."

Coordinating and integrating actions and wills to address the imbalances and diseases that today affect human, animal, and environmental health equally is essential for the well-being of all living beings on the planet, he stated. He also urged everyone to work "following these precepts, which are also imperative to advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3, which aims to 'Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.'"

During three days of intense discussions and presentations, experts from diverse disciplines, representatives of national and international institutions, and virtual delegates agreed on the need to adopt a comprehensive approach to address current and future health challenges, according to Dr. Odalys Bravo, event coordinator. Speaking to more than 500 delegates, she emphasized that the Congress marked the beginning of a new era of collaboration for a unified health system.

"The extraordinary validity of the 'One Health' approach has been demonstrated in this space, where the participation of multiple sectors and disciplines has allowed us to verify its impact on the pursuit of optimal health for all," she emphasized, noting that this approach is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in a global context affected by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since January of this year, the Congress has been preceded by more than 30 scientific events, specialized workshops, and provincial conferences, consolidating spaces for exchange and learning in each territory. "The closing of this meeting does not mark the end, but rather the beginning of a renewed commitment to science, cooperation, and the implementation of sustainable strategies for the well-being of society and the planet."

At the closing ceremony, special recognition was given to entities and organizations linked to this crucial issue, which has been prioritized since April 21, within the framework of the 5th International Convention on Cuba Health 2025.

This work was translated and License by CC-BY-NC