Preventing the next pandemic: Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission

The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Andersen, and the Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Jimmy Smith, will launch a new report, Preventing the Next Pandemic: Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission, on Monday 6 July at 12:00pm EST/7:00pm EAT.

The assessment identifies seven trends driving the increasing emergence of zoonotic diseases - those which jump between animal and human populations - and offers ten practical steps that governments can take to prevent future zoonotic outbreaks.

The authors warn that further outbreaks will emerge unless governments take active measures to prevent more zoonotic diseases from crossing into the human population, and advocate for a One Health approach to human, animal and environmental health as the optimal way to prevent and respond to zoonotic disease outbreaks and pandemics.

The launch event will be Live on UN Web TV

• Time and Date:    06 July 2020, 12:00pm EST/7:00pm EAT

Key speakers:

• Ms. Inger Andersen – Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Mr. Jimmy Smith – Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

About the UN Environment Programme

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

About the International Livestock Research Institute

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is a non-profit institution helping people in low- and middle-income countries to improve their lives, livelihoods and lands through the animals that remain the backbone of small-scale agriculture and enterprise across the developing world. ILRI is a CGIAR research centre co-hosted by Kenya and Ethiopia and with 14 other offices across Africa and Asia.

For information, to request for interviews or to receive the documents under STRICT EMBARGO prior to the launch (6 July 2020, 12pm EST/7pm EAT), please contact:

Keisha Rukikaire, Head of News and Media, UNEP, rukikaire@un.org

Moses Osani, Communication Officer, UNEP, moses.osani@un.org

David Aronson, Media and Policy Engagement, ILRI, d.aronson@cgiar.org