Key Takeaways:
- Canada’s foreign policy is being tested by transboundary crises such as pandemics, climate change, and environmental disasters.
- One Health offers a framework for integrated strategies that connect health, environment, and international engagement.
- Canada has not fully translated its vision for global health leadership into a coherent diplomatic strategy, missing an opportunity for leadership in One Health diplomacy.
- One Health diplomacy can support economic and geopolitical resilience, and Canada is well-positioned to lead in this area.
- Academic institutions are a critical but underutilized component of Canada’s foreign policy toolbox, and a deliberate academic diplomacy strategy is needed to exert sustained influence in global health governance.
Introduction to One Health Diplomacy
Canada’s foreign policy is facing a convergence of transboundary crises, including pandemic threats, accelerating climate change, geopolitical instability, and environmental disasters. These challenges require integrated strategies that connect health, environment, and international engagement. One Health offers a framework for such strategies, and if strategically deployed, it can be a powerful tool of Canadian diplomacy. The Quadripartite collaboration of the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the World Organisation for Animal Health provides the world’s primary institutional platform for coordinating One Health action across human, animal, and environmental systems.
The Need for a Coherent Diplomatic Strategy
Despite the 2025 Canadian Global Health Report’s call for renewed global health leadership grounded in equity, academic engagement, and One Health, Canada has not fully translated this vision into a coherent diplomatic strategy. One Health is often treated as a technical or academic concept rather than as an instrument of foreign policy. This represents a missed opportunity at a moment when global health, climate risk, and geopolitical stability are increasingly inseparable. One Health is defined as a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach that links human, animal, and environmental health, and it is widely recognized as essential for addressing zoonotic spillover, food insecurity, antimicrobial resistance, and climate-related health threats.
The Role of One Health Diplomacy
One Health diplomacy, a focused form of global health diplomacy, sits at the intersection of health, environment, and foreign policy. It advances international cooperation through shared scientific agendas, academic partnerships, and regional capacity-building. Unlike traditional diplomacy, which often centers on state-to-state negotiation, One Health diplomacy is sustained through research networks, training platforms, and long-term institutional relationships. At a time when multilateral health governance is under strain, this approach offers a pragmatic pathway to rebuilding trust and collective action. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated both the value and the limits of Canada’s current approach, and One Health diplomacy provides a framework for addressing the gaps that were exposed.
Supporting Economic and Geopolitical Resilience
In an era marked by rising nationalism, reduced multilateral funding, and protectionist trade policies, One Health diplomacy can also support economic and geopolitical resilience. Cross-border cooperation on food safety, zoonotic surveillance, and environmental regulation helps reduce shared risk and buffer against supply-chain disruption. In this sense, One Health diplomacy is not only a public health strategy, but a stabilizing force in an increasingly volatile global landscape. G7 discussions, including commitments made at the 2025 Kananaskis Summit, reflect a growing recognition that climate resilience, early warning systems, and disaster response are shared global responsibilities and that environmental crises are also public health crises.
The Importance of Academic Institutions
Domestically, Canada has continued to invest in research, innovation, and university-based science. Canadian institutions are also generating world-class work in infectious disease, climate modeling, environmental monitoring, and health systems research. These investments are essential and should be protected. However, scientific capacity alone does not translate into global influence or preparedness unless it is deliberately linked to long-term partnerships, diplomatic priorities, and institutions capable of applying knowledge across borders. Academic institutions are a critical but underutilized component of Canada’s foreign policy toolbox, and a deliberate academic diplomacy strategy is needed to exert sustained influence in global health governance.
A Call to Action
Canada is well-positioned to lead in One Health diplomacy, but its global engagement on One Health remains fragmented. To address this, Canada should fund South-North One Health fellowships, establish a Global One Health Academic Network, support Canadian academic leaders to serve on international One Health policy bodies, and integrate One Health more explicitly into development assistance frameworks. These actions would connect Canada’s scientific strengths with its diplomatic ambitions, positioning One Health not as a niche academic interest, but as a strategic asset in addressing planetary-scale risks. At a time when health threats increasingly transcend borders and sectors, Canada’s global engagement will be judged not only by the science it produces, but by how effectively that science is translated into shared security, resilience, and global public good.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Canada’s foreign policy is facing a convergence of transboundary crises that require integrated strategies that connect health, environment, and international engagement. One Health offers a framework for such strategies, and if strategically deployed, it can be a powerful tool of Canadian diplomacy. By recognizing the importance of One Health diplomacy, supporting academic institutions, and taking concrete steps to integrate One Health into its diplomatic strategy, Canada can position itself as a leader in global health governance and exert sustained influence in addressing planetary-scale risks. Ultimately, Canada’s global engagement will be judged by its ability to translate science into shared security, resilience, and global public good, and One Health diplomacy is a critical component of this effort.
