On 7 April 2026, World Health Day will serve as the backdrop for an unprecedented challenge: making the private sector a full-fledged player in international health diplomacy. This is the ambition of the One Health Economic Forum (OHEF), organised by the French Healthcare Association at the heart of the One Health Summit — the ninth One Planet Summit, initiated by Emmanuel Macron and this time entirely devoted to global health issues.
A One Health summit to meet the challenges of the century
Humans, animals, ecosystems: their health forms a whole. This principle, known as ‘One Health’, is the foundation of the summit. But behind the philosophy lies urgency. Pathogens are crossing species barriers, antibiotic resistance is on the rise, food systems are faltering, and pollution is accumulating. These dynamics are no longer hypothetical scenarios: they are already shaping the daily reality of health systems on every continent.
It is in this context that the French Healthcare Association was commissioned to organise the official economic component of the summit, with the support of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. With the One Health Economic Forum, its aim is to create a space where companies can truly meet decision-makers — heads of government delegations, representatives of major international organisations — to forge operational partnerships, rather than mere declarations of intent.
One day, three pillars, forty companies
The programme for the One Health Economic Forum, on 7 April, centres around a morning CEO Forum, structured around three panels:
- Health data and sustainable access to healthcare
- Prevention and health equity in a One Health approach
- One Health and health sovereignty in the face of global threats
The afternoon will be devoted to an exhibition area and B2B and B2G meetings organised via a dedicated platform, followed by a closing plenary session bringing together heads of state and government.
Forty companies have been selected to participate. Among them will be Bavarian Nordic, BioMérieux, Boehringer Ingelheim, CEVA Healthcare, Danone, L’Oréal, Sanofi, Séché, Servier and Suez: all players covering the three pillars of the One Health approach: human health, animal health and the environment. The criteria selected by the organisers favour an effective international presence, proven expertise in at least one of these pillars, and an ability to make concrete commitments rather than simply projecting an image.
A political as well as an economic signal
By placing the private sector at the heart of a scheme endorsed by the Élysée Palace, France is sending a signal that goes beyond the scope of the event. Companies involved in diagnostics, epidemiological surveillance, animal health, agri-food and medical waste management are no longer confined to the role of service providers: they are being invited to influence the global health agenda.
For the French Healthcare Association, this is the concrete expression of what it has been advocating since its creation — that healthcare sovereignty is built on a solid industrial base and lasting international alliances, not without them.
