WOAH launched the PREVENT Forum, a five-year public-private platform aimed at strengthening the prevention of animal diseases through better vaccination strategies. The initiative seeks to improve access to quality vaccines in the face of an annual cost of more than US$300 billion.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) launched the PREVENT Forum on May 19, 2026, in Paris, a five-year public-private platform designed to strengthen the prevention of animal diseases through better vaccination strategies. The launch took place during the 93rd General Session of the World Assembly of WOAH Delegates.
The Forum will bring together governments, vaccine manufacturers, regulatory bodies, producer groups, veterinary professionals, donors and intergovernmental organizations in a structured, ongoing dialogue throughout the year, with the aim of improving access to quality vaccines and supporting their more strategic use in animal health systems.
The initiative follows the publication of WOAH's flagship global report, "The State of Animal Health in the World", which sets out the investment case for better resourcing animal health systems in order to protect human health, food security, trade and livelihoods. The PREVENT Forum is presented as a concrete response to that call.
Threats to animal health continue to grow around the world. Recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), bluetongue and Newcastle disease highlighted the significant economic and social costs of acting too late. Animal diseases are estimated to cost the global economy more than US$300 billion every year; yet vaccination rates for most notifiable animal diseases remain well below 20%.
Vaccination is one of the most effective tools available to prevent and control animal diseases, alongside stronger biosecurity, surveillance, early detection and rapid response. Broadening access to quality vaccines and improving their uptake can help reduce the risk of outbreaks, protect livelihoods, support food security and contribute to efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
The Forum's work is organized around seven priority areas reflected in its name: Planning, Regulatory pathways, Economic evidence, Vaccine access, Equity, National strategies and Trade. Each area reflects a barrier where progress requires closer collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Following its first global technical session in October 2026, the Forum will seek to collectively build a Declaration that sets out a global vision for overcoming the existing barriers to animal vaccination. The first year will focus on building the evidence base for change: a global stakeholder survey will identify gaps in vaccine access, regulation and financing, and provide input to shape that first session and the subsequent collective Declaration.
The PREVENT Forum aims to translate existing global commitments into coordinated action. The 2024 UN Political Declaration on AMR called on countries to develop national animal vaccination strategies, and WOAH Resolution No. 29 (2025) called for a regular and structured public-private dialogue to better integrate vaccination into animal health systems and improve prevention.
WOAH stressed that vaccines are among the most powerful tools against animal diseases, but gaps in access, regulation and financing mean their potential is far from being fully realized. The PREVENT Forum offers governments and industry a shared space to identify what is holding progress back and to act together. In this regard, Dr. Emmanuelle Soubeyran, WOAH Director General, said: "WOAH is proud to convene this effort and we are committed to ensuring that it produces results for our Members and strengthens animal health systems worldwide".
The PREVENT Forum receives funding through an agreement with HealthforAnimals, the global animal health association, and will also organize side events at existing global meetings where animal prevention and vaccination are on the agenda. Governments, industry players and partner organizations interested in taking part can contact the Secretariat at [email protected].
