FAO, WHO and Partners Set Global Framework for Avian Influenza Action

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health and Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species have issued a joint global framework for avian influenza. Published on September 21, 2026, the 26-page document is designed to coordinate action across animal health, public health and environmental institutions.

The framework responds to a disease problem that no longer fits neatly inside poultry production. WHO says highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses have spread across continents, become established in wild bird populations and affected an expanding range of mammals, creating consequences for wildlife, farm output, food security, livelihoods and the wider economy.

Its central principle is One Health: prevention and response should connect veterinary services, human health authorities, wildlife agencies, laboratories, producers and environmental institutions. The four organizations describe the framework as a common reference rather than a replacement for national plans, with implementation intended to remain country led.

The agenda covers prevention, early detection, rapid response and preparedness. It also calls for better risk assessment and communication, stronger surveillance and information sharing, and multidisciplinary research capable of tracking how viruses move across species and regions.

That coordination matters because fragmented surveillance can leave critical gaps between commercial poultry, backyard flocks, wild birds and mammals. A signal detected in one system may have implications for the others, but only if laboratories and authorities can share information quickly and interpret it together.

FAO presented the framework during its Global Conference for Actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems in Rome. The same conference launched an online livestock and One Health knowledge hub intended to bring production, animal health, antimicrobial resistance, climate and socioeconomic information into one access point for decision makers.

For poultry companies and livestock authorities, the document does not create a new regulation or a single global control program. Its practical value will depend on whether countries translate the priorities into funded surveillance, farm biosecurity, laboratory capacity, wildlife monitoring, contingency planning and clear communication with producers.

The framework is therefore best read as a governance tool for a persistent international risk. Its significance is the agreement among four institutions with different mandates that avian influenza prevention and response must be planned across sectors and borders, rather than treated only as an outbreak problem inside affected farms.