The panel opened with a keynote introduction to the One Health concept, emphasizing its integrated and transdisciplinary approach to balancing the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems. The session underscored the interdependencies across sectors and called for cross-disciplinary collaboration in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.

Key points included:

Five principles of One Health: equity, inclusion, ecological equilibrium, stewardship, and multisectoral collaboration.

Acknowledgement that crises like pandemics, floods, and earthquakes expose the interconnectedness between human societies, animals, and the environment.

Discussion Focus:

The importance of integrating veterinary expertise into disaster response planning.

Recognizing animals not only as companions or livestock but as integral to societal and ecological resilience.

Emphasizing collaborative mechanisms and cross-sector planning to ensure inclusive, efficient, and humane disaster response strategies.

Panelists Introduced:

• Dr. Amir Khalil (Four Paws International): Shared experiences in animal rescue during disasters in conflict and crisis zones globally.
• Dr. Barbara Juen (University of Innsbruck / Austrian Red Cross): Focused on psychosocial support and crisis intervention in disaster psychology.
• Gerry Foitik (Austrian Red Cross): Spoke on crisis management, emergency services, and advising national leadership.
• Dr. André Gazsó (Austrian Academy of Sciences): Addressed risk and safety assessment in emerging technologies.
• Christian Resch (Disaster Competence Network Austria): Brought perspectives from military and civil protection disaster response missions.
• Dr. Amélie Desvars-Larrive (VetMedUni Vienna): Moderated the session, highlighting zoonotic diseases and data-driven epidemiology.

Watch the webinar here >