The Global Early Warning System (GLEWS+) is a joint initiative of the Tripartite: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). It establishes a direct communication channel for these organizations to share any information about emerging health events detected across the globe.
GLEWS+ provides continuous early warning and on-demand risk assessments of global health threats emerging at the human – animal – ecosystem interface, including those with transboundary and zoonotic potential. Leveraging these systems, the Tripartite has created a platform to share alerts on health events of potential concern. This One Health global alert and early warning system enables the monitoring of data from existing event-based surveillance systems — including both official and not-yet verified events — and supports the tracking, verification, sharing of alert reports related to relevant health events.
By connecting information from animal health and human health, GLEWS+ plays a critical role 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, initiated under the 2006 Tripartite One Health collaboration, and contributing to the Quadripartite One Health Joint Plan of Action (OH JPA). This multisectoral collaboration, more effective and efficient solutions to complex global health challenges and collaborative leadership in addressing health risks are fostered.
As part of the OH JPA, GLEWS+ supports national actions on multisectoral and collaborative approaches to risk monitoring, verification, and preparedness for emerging health threats. GLEWS+ also enables the Tripartite to enhance 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.
How GLEWS+ alerts are triggered
One Health Intelligence website
The GLEWS+ website is a joint platform by FAO, WHO, and WOAH that brings together information on health threats affecting people, animals, and the environment. It provides trusted, up-to-date information to support early detection and coordinated responses to health risks at the human–animal–environment interface. Designed for the public, health professionals and decision-makers, the platform helps users understand emerging health threats and their potential impacts.
As a unique One Health Intelligence platform, the GLEWS+ website offers access to information on emerging health threats, rapid and iterative risk assessments, situation reports, technical guidance, and recommendations. By promoting collaboration and shared intelligence across sectors, the GLEWS+ it supports a more informed, proactive, and unified approach to protecting global health.
Tripartite FAO-WHO-WOAH collaboration in
One Health Intelligence
GLEWS was established in 2006 to consolidate and strengthen collaboration among FAO, WHO, and WOAH in addressing emerging health threats. The initiative fosters collaboration to enhance early warning, risk communication and risk management as a global public good.
Over time, GLEWS evolved into GLEWS+, integrating the alert and response mechanisms of the three organizations into a single system of One Health Intelligence.
Objective of GLEWS+
The objective of GLEWS+ is to enhance global health through early warning, information sharing and risk assessment collaboration among organizations.
Enhance early detection of health threats at the human-animal-ecosystem interface
Information sharing among FAO, WHO and WOAH of health threats at the human-animal-ecosystem interface
Joint risk assessments to support rapid action on acute health events of potential international concern
Timely and coordinated risk communication to guide risk management, and multisectoral action to reduce risks from emerging and re-emerging outbreaks
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. GLEWS+ Tripartite Priority Diseases Criteria (July 2022)
GLEWS+ brings together the monitoring and verification efforts of FAO, WHO, and WOAH, enabling real-time information sharing.
Animal disease outbreaks can act as early warning signals for reinforcement of animal and public health surveillance, while signals from public health surveillance can trigger investigations in animals. By linking these networks across sectors, GLEWS+ supports rapid information exchange, faster detection, and timely responses to health threats.
GLEWS+ provides a unique cross-sectoral mechanism for robust and timely joint risk assessments that:
Performs a unique cross-sectoral mechanism for conducting robust and timely joint risk assessments
Provide risk management advice
Inform preparedness and rapid response actions
Support stakeholder coordination
Improve risk communication
Assessments are conducted using combined datasets and multidisciplinary technical expertise across the three organizations.
GLEWS+ ensures timely and relevant communication:
Across FAO, WHO, and WOAH
With other international organizations and relevant stakeholders
With countries and territories
With the public and the international community
Synergies and collaboration across the Tripartite, combined with timely risk communication, supports countries and the global community with rapid response to disease events at the human-animal interface. Events with potential high consequences — due to the disease characteristics or limited capacity for containment — are flagged early, and needs for technical support on the ground is communicated across all the three organizations.
Technical expertise is made available to support response and disease containment efforts, contributing to strengthened preparedness and resilience.
Who we are
Collaboration is at the heart of GLEWS+. The platform is powered by the 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 animal-health global early warning and response system, country field networks, and normative technical guidance to support countries to prevent and control the world’s most serious animal diseases and monitor emerging risks. Through its Emergency Prevention System for Animal Health programme, it supports:
Monitoring and reporting of high-impact animal disease events through the EMPRES Global Animal Disease Information System (EMPRES-i+) database, and its field network in 130 countries and territories.
Alert, forecasting of high impact disease risks
Coordination with national veterinary services, regional and international organizations on rapid response to emerging risks
Capacity building of veterinary services in animal health surveillance, prevention, preparedness and response
Analysis of disease trends affecting animal food 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. Seventy-five percent 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 International Health Regulations (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.
World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)
Animal health WOAH provides official disease notifications on animal diseases 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
Global network of reference laboratories and collaborating centre
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