Canal France International (CFI) launched the "Media for One Health" project in Vientiane on September 16, gathering local journalists and health experts for a week-long training program. The initiative aims to equip journalists across Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines with the skills to effectively cover the One Health approach, which addresses the interconnectedness between the environment, animal health, and human health. This comes in light of recent zoonotic diseases like SARS, H1N1, and COVID-19, emphasizing the media's role in raising public awareness.

Key speakers at the event included experts from the French Agricultural Research Centre (CIRAD) and the Lao University of Health Sciences, who discussed the importance of understanding the One Health approach in tackling issues such as zoonotic diseases, environmental degradation, and climate change. The project also highlighted the need for journalists to develop both technical and soft skills to effectively report on these complex topics.

Supported by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the two-year "Media for One Health" initiative aims to enhance public awareness and promote policy action on global health issues by training journalists to communicate the principles of the One Health approach.

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