OHW-NG: Southeast Asia Year 4 Semi Annual Report
This year marks a significant milestone for the Southeast Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN). In collaboration with One Health University Networks in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, SEAOHUN is working tirelessly to enhance the skills of the One Health workforce in Southeast Asia through the One Health Workforce - Next Generation (OHW-NG) and Transition Award projects.
Supported directly by USAID, the Transition Award project, which began in October 2023, aims to improve the competencies of the One Health workforce in the region. Although global efforts have helped reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still numerous health challenges that require a One Health approach. Since October 2019, the USAID OHW-NG Global Consortium, led by the University of California, Davis, has been at the forefront of driving advancements in One Health initiatives in Southeast Asia.
SEAOHUN, in partnership with the OHW-NG Consortium, has successfully implemented various flagship programs. These programs contribute to the project's three main objectives: workforce empowerment, workforce assessment and tracking, and organizational sustainability.
Over the past few years, SEAOHUN and its eight country networks have brought together 216 faculties from 102 universities in Southeast Asia. This collaboration has resulted in remarkable achievements, including training over 30,000 participants in One Health topics, developing more than 400 knowledge products, and mobilizing 1,566 students in 37 One Health Student Clubs (OHSCs).
In December 2022, SEAOHUN co-organized a regional workshop with the Global Consortium on organizational development. This workshop aimed to support the sustainability of national One Health University Networks. As a result, several country networks have implemented organizational development activities to ensure their continued presence.
Furthermore, in February 2023, SEAOHUN became an affiliate member of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), a regional intergovernmental organization that promotes cooperation in education, science, and culture.
We would like to express our gratitude to our generous donors, USAID and Chevron, as well as our regional and country-level partners. Thanks to their support, SEAOHUN has become the largest network of university-based experts in animal, human, and environmental health in Southeast Asia. Our mission is to provide education, training, and research to nurture future One Health professionals who can effectively prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats in the region and beyond.
