Image: Supplied
During an interview with a regional publication, Mustapha Ferjani, Tunisia’s Minister of Health, emphasized that regional collaborations and integrated health initiatives are pivotal in overhauling public health systems throughout North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. This discussion comes ahead of the forthcoming ‘One Health, One Future’ conference.
In this comprehensive talk, Ferjani addressed the beneficial impact of Saudi Arabia’s development funding in areas of Tunisia that are in dire need, insights gained from regional cooperation, and the necessity of implementing the ‘One Health’ framework—which connects human, animal, and environmental health—within national strategies. He elaborated on Tunisia’s initiatives to operationalize this approach through legislative changes, skill enhancement, and multi-sectoral collaboration.
As the nation gears up for the summit organized in partnership with the World Bank and Quadripartite, Ferjani urged for enhanced regional cooperation, streamlined data sharing, and collective initiatives aimed at fortifying health systems to address emerging health challenges.
The Importance of Regional Development Partnerships in Public Health
In the MENA region, collaborative partnerships are essential for the advancement of various sectors, particularly public health in countries like Tunisia. Investments from affluent nations, such as Saudi Arabia, are especially advantageous as they foster shared advancement while taking into account a keen understanding of regional challenges as opposed to global investments.
The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) has recently allocated funds for significant hospital projects in disadvantaged regions within Tunisia, such as Sbiba in Kasserine Governorate and El Jem in Mahdia Governorate, committing an overall total exceeding $1.23 billion in favorable loans and grants for various development initiatives. This financial support directly addresses urgent healthcare needs and reduces disparities in access.
These regional development partnerships are transformative, as they help bridge infrastructure gaps and enhance healthcare capacity, particularly in underprivileged areas, improving service quality through the inclusion of cutting-edge technology and best practices. Such collaborations contribute to sustainable development by establishing resilient healthcare systems with comprehensive operational frameworks.
Insights from Tunisia’s Partnership with the SFD
Tunisia’s collaboration with the SFD exemplifies the potential of successful intra-regional development partnerships, especially when centered around targeted investments, long-term commitments, comprehensive capacity development, and crucially, local ownership.
Key lessons from Tunisia’s experience, which can be widely applied to other MENA countries facing similar health access issues, highlight the importance of directing investments towards regions most in need to eliminate geographic disparities in health services and ensure equitable healthcare distribution.
This partnership also underscores the importance of sustained financial support and long-term planning, which are critical for ensuring the durability of projects.
Furthermore, fostering strong local ownership and seamless integration with national health strategies remains essential, enabling external funding to support existing national agendas and accelerating advancements in public health infrastructure and access for millions.
Shaping National Health Strategies with the ‘One Health’ Framework
The Ministry of Health in Tunisia anticipates that the ‘One Health’ framework will increasingly shape national health strategies in North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean.
The upcoming ‘One Health, One Future’ conference aims to accelerate the incorporation of comprehensive One Health strategies into national policies and enhance inter-sectoral collaboration, moving past isolated approaches in public health, veterinary practices, and environmental protection.
Reflecting its commitment to this integrated approach, Tunisia has prioritized One Health efforts since as early as 1994, predating the formal endorsement of the concept. The establishment of the National Committee on Anthropozoonosis and an early-warning system for avian influenza in 2000 exemplifies this commitment, promoting border security, farm testing, and wetland bird monitoring.
Following the ratification of the Paris Agreement in 2016, Tunisia’s progressive Nationally Determined Contribution outlined its ambition to weave together environmental protection, climate resilience, and public health. The completion of the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in 2018 further demonstrated Tunisia’s commitment to One Health by expanding AMR oversight to include fish, dairy, and meat sectors. Cross-sector collaboration initiated by Ministries of Health, Commerce, and Agriculture resulted in the implementation of Law 25 pertaining to the sanitary safety of food products.
In 2022, Tunisia rolled out a new legislative project under its national One Health committee and established the One Health Laboratory at the Tunis Pasteur Institute. By December 2023, the Ministry of Health collaborated with additional ministries to formulate a joint national One Health roadmap, outlining objectives for improved monitoring and coordinated responses.
This commitment is seen in capacity-building initiatives, with Tunisian veterinarians participating in FAO-led One Health training, resulting in successful rabies elimination campaigns, achieving over 80% vaccination coverage in canines through free, mandatory vaccinations and widespread educational outreach by 2024.
As recently as 2025, Tunisia partnered with the World Bank to develop a Budgetary Action Plan further embedding One Health into national strategies.
Building Capacities for a Sustainable ‘One Health’ Model
Our objective is to position the ‘One Health’ approach as a catalyst for research, innovation, and building resilience.
To accomplish this, it is necessary to bolster regional platforms for collaborative research and incentivize innovation through the creation of effective networks that encompass researchers, clinicians, veterinarians, agricultural specialists, environmental scientists, economists, and data analysts.
Additionally, we need to improve data sharing, define regional priorities collectively, and establish impactful collaborative projects.
Moreover, we advocate for the initiation of master’s and doctoral programs in ‘One Health’ at regional universities, creating joint training modules that cover human and veterinary medicine, environmental science, and public health.
Ultimately, we are striving to transform ‘One Health’ into an actionable force for innovation, progress, and resilience across the region.
Future of Regional Collaboration Post-Conference
Organized by the Tunisian government alongside the World Bank and the Quadripartite, we envision that the ‘One Health, One Future’ conference will significantly advance institutional alignment and regional collaboration around the One Health agenda.
The anticipated ‘Carthage Declaration’ is intended to catalyze deeper cooperation throughout the Arab world, aiming to translate discussion into actionable plans.
This involves forming formal agreements and standardized operational frameworks among ministries and agencies related to health, agriculture, and the environment across the region.
We also expect an increase in partnerships addressing common challenges, such as conducting coordinated disease surveillance across borders, joint vaccination efforts against transboundary zoonosis, collaborative research addressing regional health determinants, and effective sharing of data and risk assessments across borders.
Tunisia’s previous engagements with Libya regarding zoonotic disease prioritization and participation in Africa CDC’s One Health workshops represent early examples of this evolving trend, which we anticipate will gain momentum along with the outcomes of our One Health MENA Conference.
Furthermore, we look forward to more countries adopting national One Health roadmaps aligned with Tunisia’s recent initiative, which harmonizes with regional goals and international standards.