The Global Early Warning System (GLEWS+) is a joint initiative by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
These global organizations combine their expertise, data, and networks to create a cross-sectoral system that provides robust and timely joint risk assessments for health threats emerging at the human–animal–ecosystem interface.
GLEWS+ enhances early warning capability by connecting information from animal health, human health, and environmental systems. It is a major step in supporting proactive preparedness, early detection, and coordinated response to global health risks.
FAO, WHO and WOAH have a long-standing collaboration to address risks at the human–animal–ecosystem interface, guided by the 2010 Tripartite Concept Note and the One Health approach. By combining their technical expertise, the Tripartite delivers more effective and efficient solutions to complex global health challenges and demonstrates multisectoral, collaborative leadership in addressing health risks.
Beyond broader multisectoral activities—such as supporting implementation of the IHR (2005), conducting national capacity reviews and Joint External Evaluations, and linking the WOAH PVS Pathway with the IHR Monitoring and Evaluation Framework—the Tripartite, through GLEWS+, is enhancing early warning and surveillance systems across sectors . It also improves foresight, preparedness, and response to emerging, re-emerging, and neglected diseases, ensuring a coordinated and comprehensive approach to global health threats.
Tripartite FAO-WHO-WOAH collaboration in
One Health
Intelligence
(OHI)
GLEWS was established in 2006 and the initiative was created to consolidate, develop, and use cooperation and efficiency to address animal and zoonotic threats. The initiative activated the voluntary collaboration of the FAO, WHO, and WOAH, all working together to strengthen early warning and response capabilities to benefit the global community.
Since then, GLEWS+ activities were updated involving the combination of the alert and response mechanisms of the three organizations into one system for One Health Intelligence (OHI).
Objective of GLEWS+
The GLEWS+ objective is to enhance global health security through early detection, early warning, and transparency among organizations by sharing information and data on disease outbreaks.
- within and across the three organizations,
- with Member countries, the public, and the international community
Priority diseases monitored by GLEWS+
GLEWS+ focuses on a defined set of priority diseases that pose significant risks at the human–animal–ecosystem interface. These diseases are identified based on agreed public and animal-health criteria and are grouped by category to support early detection, risk assessment, and coordinated response.
The Global Early Warning System (GLEWS+) brings together the monitoring and verification efforts of FAO, WHO, and WOAH, enabling real-time sharing of information.
Animal disease outbreaks can act as early warning signals, prompting the strengthening of public health surveillance. Likewise, signals from public health surveillance can trigger investigations in animal populations. GLEWS links these networks across sectors to detect health events more rapidly and support timely responses to health threats, with a focus on GLEWS+ priority diseases at the human–animal-ecosystem interface.
- Inform rapid response actions
- Provide risk management advice
- Support stakeholder coordination
- Improve risk communication
- Within the three organizations (FAO, WHO, WOAH)
- With international organization and relevant stakeholders
- With countries and territories
- With the public and the international community
At-risk areas or seasonal disease patterns are analyzed to help countries and partners prepare in advance.
All countries face risks and potential health threats from an increasing range of hazards, including zoonotic diseases, and threats associated with climate change including extreme weather events and deforestation. The Tripartite supports the global community to evaluate, develop and strengthen core capacities to detect, assess, notify and report events and to respond promptly and effectively to public and animal health emergencies.
Who we are
Collaboration is at the heart of GLEWS+. Our platform is powered by the tripartite partnership of FAO, WHO and WOAH, leveraging their collective global networks, data systems and expertise.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
FAO contributes its worldwide animal-health surveillance systems, field networks, and technical leadership in animal production and food security.
It supports:
- Monitoring and reporting of transboundary animal disease events and zoonosis through the EMPRES Global Animal Disease Information System (EMPRES-i+) database
- Coordination with national veterinary services
- Capacity building in animal health and livestock sectors
- Analysis of disease trends affecting food systems
Focus area: Animal health, livestock production, food and agriculture systems.
World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme works with all countries and partners to ensure the world is better prepared for prevent, detect and respond to disease outbreaks and all-hazards health emergencies that threaten global health security. 75% of emerging pathogens are of zoonotic nature. Progress towards global health security requires a greater focus on the interface between humans and animals and a strong collaboration between the human health and the animal health sectors.
WHO works together with international organizations and national institutions in charge of animal health to improve the rapid detection of emerging pathogens and to ensure coordination in rapid control measures. By strengthening the contribution of the veterinary sector in the implementation of the IHR (2005), WHO and its partners propose guidance, methods, and tools to jointly review synergies and gaps in the coordination between the two sectors and to support countries in the operationalization of a multisectoral, One Health approach for global health security.
Focus area: Strengthening global health security at the human-animal interface, Rapid risk assessment, supporting Member states in outbreak preparedness and response.
World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)
Animal health WOAH provides official disease notifications from countries and territories and provides international standards for animal disease surveillance and reporting.
It contributes through:
- The World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS)
- Global networks of experts
- Verification and publication of official animal disease information
- Development, publication and implementation of international animal-health and welfare standards
Focus area: International standards on animal health and welfare, animal disease monitoring, veterinary services support, international reporting standards.
Acknowledgement
The GLEWS+ website was developed with the financial support of the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea