President John Dramani Mahama has called for urgent global action to confront rising health threats, warning of the growing link between climate change, disease and inequality.

Speaking at the One Health Summit 2026 in Lyon on Tuesday, he outlined three key priorities and urged leaders to move beyond rhetoric. “The period of declarations must come to an end… let us start from Lyon,” he said.

His first call was for a shift from pledges to implementation, insisting countries must embed One Health strategies into national development plans and align them with a global public health framework.

Secondly, he stressed the need to integrate the approach into international security systems.

Thirdly, he called for stronger prevention through “smart, dynamic and interoperable” surveillance systems, highlighting community-level early warning mechanisms as critical to stopping future pandemics.

President Mahama warned that the world is facing a convergence of threats across humans, animals and plants, driven largely by climate change. He cited rising infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and disruptions to food systems as interconnected risks.

Drawing on Ghana’s experience, he pointed to the impact of pests on cocoa farms and the environmental damage caused by illegal mining, including forest degradation and water pollution. He also flagged plastic pollution as a growing global crisis.

On inequality, he described current disparities as unacceptable. “The countries that are most at risk have the least resources to cope. This must change,” he said, calling for equitable access to financing, technology and innovation.

He emphasised that prevention-led health systems are more effective and cost-efficient, and noted that Africa’s traditional knowledge systems already reflect the One Health concept.

Referencing past outbreaks such as COVID-19, Mpox, Lassa fever and Marburg, he said global systems remain slow and fragmented, urging stronger political will.

“Let Lyon be the turning point,” he said, adding that decisions taken at the summit must deliver measurable outcomes.

The summit, hosted by France under its G7 Presidency, has brought together global leaders and experts to advance coordinated action on human, animal and environmental health.