Building long term stability for our collective one health work

Brain storming call to shape a durable structure beyond the current action, ensuring continuity, safety and global impact for all involved

Estimated reading time: one and a half minutes.
Executive summary: the EU BEACON coordination calls on unified infrastructure and roadmap are scheduled for 9 and 12 December at 10:00 CET via https://tele.health.int.eu.org/done/deal/. Alongside these general sessions, a smaller meeting will be organised for those who wish to work together on the long term sustainability of our individual and collective careers. This focused brainstorming call will take place later in December or early January and will include only those who register interest by writing to henning.garcia@health.int.eu.org . The session will examine concrete pathways for securing stable livelihoods dedicated to One Health education and the prevention of abuse, ranging from new grants and fellowships to cooperatives, B corporations, a global foundation and other viable models. The goal is to ensure continuity of our work well beyond 2029 and to support those in more fragile circumstances to strengthen their position now. After gathering expressions of interest, I will circulate a set of dates to identify the most suitable time and confirm the meeting with the dedicated group. Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues, or unsubscribe if not interested any longer.

The EU BEACON coordination video calls focused on the unified infrastructure and roadmap will take place on 9 and 12 December at 10:00 CET (Madrid time), using the following link for access: https://tele.health.int.eu.org/done/deal/ . In parallel to these general sessions, I would like to propose an additional, smaller meeting specifically dedicated to those who are interested in working together on the long term sustainability of our individual and collective careers. This second set of calls will be arranged only with members who explicitly confirm their interest, so that we can work in a focused and practical way.

I would like to convene this complementary online brainstorming session later that month or early January, after the first EU BEACON calls, to concentrate on how to make each of our careers structurally sustainable while remaining fully dedicated to One Health education, well being and the end of abuses, starting from those most at risk. The aim is to reflect together, on a global scale, on how we can secure the conditions that allow us to continue this work with continuity, clarity of purpose and without chronic precarity. If you are interested in joining this dedicated brainstorming call, please send a short email to henning.garcia@health.int.eu.org .

My proposal is that we explore, collectively and in detail, a wide spectrum of possibilities: new grants and fellowships, the creation of a workers cooperative or similar shared structure, the option of a B corporation, the establishment of a global foundation, and a portfolio of services and products that remain coherent with our ethics and mission. The space will also be open to any other model you consider relevant for consolidating long term livelihoods around this shared agenda.

The objective is twofold. First, to guarantee continuity for our common work well beyond 2029, so that what we are building does not dissolve when the current COST funding cycle ends. Second, to identify concrete mechanisms that can immediately strengthen those among us who are in more fragile situations, so that they can increase their income, stabilize their conditions and contribute from the strongest possible footing in the years ahead. Once I have the list of interested members, allies and anyone else willing, I will propose a set of dates and times to poll the best one, so that we can accommodate as many of us as possible. We will confirm the details directly with that group, devoted to sustainability. Please, share along your contacts.

This initiative follows exactly what our action is mandated to deliver. The COST framework requires us to widen participation, reach those with the least access to educational resources, with the lowest salaries and with the most limited options to escape harmful environments and marginalization, and to create conditions where knowledge circulates across borders without obstruction. To do that in a serious way, we must recognize that precarious contracts, unpaid overload and exposure to toxic settings directly undermine our capacity to serve the people and territories most in need. Securing our own continuity and safety is not a secondary goal, it is a structural prerequisite to fulfill our mandate at global scale. We need a stable framework that goes beyond the current action, able to sustain one health work in the broad sense over decades, not just funding cycles. That means building a durable collective, cultivating allies who understand the value of our work, engaging institutions that rely on our expertise, securing robust partnerships and developing clients who provide fair compensation for the services, tools and knowledge we produce. It also requires reaching donors and funders committed to long term transformation, approaching governments that need evidence based guidance, and positioning ourselves where our contributions are recognized as essential rather than optional.

Illustration: fragment of the World Food Programme hunger map. For further information on the state of children Worldwide, I recommend UNICEF’s own statistical compendium, titled Ending Child Poverty: Our shared imperative.

Only with this stronger base can we extend open courseware into places where infrastructure is fragile, create new power tools for learning, produce multilingual materials, tutor learners across continents, support teachers, train researchers, mentor professionals, design community based programmes, offer online and in person courses, reinforce schools with scarce capacity, accompany early career colleagues, assemble evidence for local authorities, translate specialized knowledge into accessible formats, establish open science hubs, map needs in vulnerable areas, form remote academies, strengthen digital platforms, generate analytical briefings, advise organizations and support those working in the harshest social and ecological contexts. A unified and durable structure amplifies our reach and allows us to position one health education where it is most urgently required, while also ensuring that no member of this network is forced to remain in abusive situations or chronic insecurity to continue contributing. We must find ways to strengthen the path forward. Please, propose any idea. Let’s get working on achieving our mandate.

If you agree that we must address these questions together, I ask you to write to henning.garcia@health.int.eu.org and to join this dedicated video call, so that we can design the next steps with everyone who is willing to work on this with clarity and commitment. Thank you so much. In next post, I will share our updated website and media kit, along with further news on it all. I do hope it is of your interest.