Youth Art Contest for the One Health Future We Want

With the COVID-19 pandemic signaling a historic moment to build transformative resilience across our health, food and ecosystems, the momentum to strengthen a One Health approach is gaining greater political and stakeholder traction.

As the international community ramps up for a bigger One Health movement, FAO, through the World Food Forum, is organizing a youth art contest “The One Health Future We Want” to invite young people to express how the future health that would work for animals, humans and the environment should look like.

Bringing young people’s voices to the center of One Health advocacy work will allow innovative solutions to be introduced and incorporated into FAO’s One Health work. Thus, this event would provide a platform for youth participation and invest in the future generations who will have to deal with the planetary health threats, but at the same time hold the key to reverse the trend.

How to join the youth art contest

Nationals of FAO members, between 21 and 30 years old, enrolled in a degree programme, or recent graduates within three years after graduation of a degree programme, are invited to join the competition. They can enter by submitting the artistic pieces on the subject of “The One Health Future We Want”. The deadline for submitting entries – which can include slam poetry, songs or skit performances – is 20 November 2021.

The winner(s) of the art contest will be granted an internship opportunity with FAO’s One Health team and will get to support global advocacy efforts to achieve optimal planetary health. Moreover, the creative artworks submitted will be further used as One Health advocacy tools when addressing high-level policy-makers.

FAO and the One Health approach

One Health is an integrated approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of the ecosystem and ensures that specialists in multiple sectors work together to tackle health threats to animals, humans, plants and the environment.

Ensuring a One Health approach is essential for anticipating, preventing, detecting and controlling diseases that spread between animals and humans. Moreover, One Health is critical in tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), ensuring food safety, preventing environment-related human and animal health threats, and combatting many other challenges.

FAO is closely working with partners to promote global health, eliminate hunger, promote food safety and healthy diets, prevent and control zoonoses and AMR, protect farmers' livelihoods from the impacts of plant and animal diseases, and increase the sustainability of agricultural practices.