Ministers endorsed a Ministerial Declaration in Paris calling for urgent investment in animal health, while WOAH warns that it receives barely 0.6% of global health spending. Bringing Veterinary Services up to international standards would cost around $2.3 billion a year.
Paris, May 18, 2026. Ministers and senior government representatives from around the world endorsed a Ministerial Declaration during the 93rd General Session of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), in which they call for urgent global investment in animal health systems. Among the signatories are French Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Annie Genevard; Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Luis Planas; and European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi, along with representatives of countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
The commitment came days after the organisation published its annual report on the State of Animal Health in the World, which warns that animal health receives barely 0.6% of global health spending, despite the rise in health crises and the risks to food systems, economies and public health.
In the statement, the signatories place animal health and welfare as a first line of defence against pandemics, food insecurity and economic crises. "Animal health and welfare are no longer sectoral issues," the ministers said. "They are fundamental to food and nutritional security, economic stability, safe trade, poverty reduction and the prevention of health crises at the interface between people, animals and the environment."
The ministers warned that underfunded animal health systems, of which Veterinary Services are an essential part, are taking on growing responsibilities with insufficient and unpredictable resources, weakening the world's capacity to prevent and respond to animal disease outbreaks and zoonotic transmission events.
The report presented on May 13 in Paris notes that development assistance for health fell to approximately $39.1 billion in 2025, and that animal health accounts for less than 2.5% of that total. Over the same period, global defence spending reached a record $2.9 trillion.
WOAH estimates that bringing Veterinary Services in all countries up to international standards would cost around $2.3 billion a year, less than 0.05% of the $3.6 trillion in economic losses attributed to COVID-19 in 2020. The organisation stresses that animal health is chronically underfunded even though animal diseases destroy more than 20% of global animal production every year.
"Animal health systems sit at the very heart of food security, economic stability, welfare and human health, and yet they are chronically underfunded," said Dr Emmanuelle Soubeyran, Director General of WOAH. "The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of investing more in prevention and in the One Health approach. One Health will remain an aspiration until animal health is genuinely integrated into the way we plan and invest, long before the next crisis arrives."
Between 2025 and 2026, 64 countries and territories reported more than 2,000 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, with the loss of more than 140 million poultry. Foot and mouth disease caused unprecedented outbreaks in southern Africa and reappeared in Europe, while African swine fever continues to spread, including through notable long-distance jumps.
The New World screwworm, a parasitic flesh-eating fly, is a major concern, with tens of thousands of cases recorded in Central America and a northward expansion that poses a threat to animal health beyond the countries currently affected.
WOAH recalls that 75% of emerging infectious diseases in humans originate in animals, which makes animal health systems the first line of defence against outbreaks. However, 18% of the countries assessed show a decline in veterinary capacity and 22% a decline in paraprofessional staff capacity.
"What we are seeing goes beyond the spread of disease and also reflects growing pressure on surveillance networks and emergency response capacities, especially in the regions most exposed to animal health risks," said Dr Paolo Tizzani, senior veterinary epidemiologist at WOAH. "When Veterinary Services lack resources, diseases are detected late, spread further and are more costly to control, regardless of how they started. Strengthening these systems is therefore an important and effective way for governments and their partners to reduce risks and improve preparedness."
Based on 54 countries and territories assessed, WOAH estimates that an average budget increase of 52% would be needed to cover the real annual cost of effective Veterinary Services. On a positive note, following recent activities under the Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Programme, more than half of the participating countries reported an increase in financial resources.
"Animal health systems are a global public good, and the world does not fund them as such," concluded Dr Susana Pombo, President of the World Assembly of Delegates of WOAH. "At a time when governments are increasing defence budgets, it is worth asking what animal health really means in this context. Diseases do not recognise borders. A gap in animal health surveillance in one country is a vulnerability for all countries, which is why we must change the way we think about solidarity and investment in animal health systems."
The report urges governments to increase funding for animal health systems and to integrate them into broader health, economic and security strategies; development partners to align funding with long-term prevention rather than crisis response; and financial institutions and the private sector to recognise animal health as a high-impact investment. The findings serve as the basis for the WOAH Technical Forum, dedicated this year to the theme "Investing in animal health to secure the future for all", which is being held from May 18 to 22 in Paris.
