A critical analysis of the quadripartite one health joint plan of action

The Quadripartite One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022-2026), now extended to 2029, represents an important effort to consolidate One Health as a global policy framework. This article critically examines the Plan's achievements and structural constraints. Key strengths include the consolidation of political commitment, the formalisation of institutional alignment at global level, and the prioritisation of prevention, preparedness, and integrated surveillance. Environmental governance was formally included, recognising ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss as upstream drivers of risk. However, although later guidance added an operational layer, the Plan remains predominantly normative, its financing guidance says more about mobilising investment than about sustaining recurrent functions, and participatory mechanisms remain predominantly consultative. Its framing continues to privilege health security over long-term socioecological determinants and routine practice. The article proposes priorities for the structured review and next phase: clearer implementation pathways with comparable reporting, coordinated investment, participatory governance, and One Health embedded in routine practice.