On 16 September 2026, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Government of Kenya’s Zoonotic Disease Unit (ZDU) brought partners together in Nairobi for the inaugural meeting of the Nature for Health (N4H) scoping phase in Kenya. The NBSAP Accelerator Partnership took part in the meeting.

N4H is a global initiative that aims to reduce pandemic risk by addressing the environmental drivers of zoonotic disease emergence. Its preventive One Health approach strengthens the links between human, animal and ecosystem health. The goal is for prevention, rather than response, to become central to public health systems.

Kenya’s selection followed Expressions of Interest from two institutions: the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS) and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI). They submitted them through the ZDU, and ministries responsible for environment, health, agriculture, and tourism and wildlife endorsed them. The ZDU was established in 2012 as a joint body between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, and it is responsible for Kenya’s One Health Strategic Plan. Through its Expressions of Interest, Kenya sought to strengthen the environmental dimension of One Health and agree on the most effective upstream prevention activities.

The pressures are considerable:

• Land-use change, habitat fragmentation, expanding human settlements, biodiversity loss and climate change are intensifying interactions among wildlife, livestock and people.
• Shifting rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts and the spreading range of mosquitoes and ticks are contributing to outbreaks of diseases such as Rift Valley fever and anthrax.

The meeting was designed to discuss the scoping phase, seek endorsement of the project, and review the proposed roadmap for scoping and later implementation. The agenda included:

• high-level remarks from the State Departments for Livestock Development, Environment and Climate Change, Public Health and Professional Standards, and Wildlife
• a session on endorsing the Steering Committee terms of reference, led by the ZDU
• presentations by WRTI and DVS on the Expressions of Interest and Kenya’s background
• a session on the scope of N4H by the N4H secretariat and Technical Advisory Group
• contributions from a youth representative and a civil society organisation
• a closing session by UNEP on next steps and milestones

The scoping phase is designed as a systemic, participatory inquiry. It will identify drivers of spillover, including biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and climate change. It will also analyse how environmental, health and socio-economic systems interact, and define priorities, boundaries and feasible intervention pathways.

Engagement will reach national, subnational and local levels. The stakeholders include:

• government ministries
• local communities and Indigenous Peoples
• academic and research institutions
• civil society organisations, including those focused on gender equity and those led by youth
• the private sector
• development partners

After the kick-off, the process moves through three further stages:

• understanding the situation (November 2026 to February 2027)
• identifying solutions (March to April 2027)
• agreeing next steps (May to June 2027)

It ends with a validated Implementation Project Document (IPD). The IPD will set out a two to three year implementation phase, aligned with N4H’s four outcome areas: Assess, Build, Enable and Sustain.

For Kenya, this work connects with its biodiversity planning. The government has signalled its interest in integrating One Health issues into the implementation of its NBSAP. Talks are now under way on how to start developing a nationwide One Health action plan.