One Health Social Science Workshop

18th November – 20th November
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

We are pleased to announce that Addis Ababa University College of Social Sciences, and the One Health Network for the Horn of Africa (HORN), will be hosting a One Health and Social Science workshop entitled “Embedding Social Science in One Health: Strengthening Capacity in the Horn of Africa”.

The application process has now closed. Applicants will be notified whether they have been awarded a place by the 11th of November.

What is the workshop about?

Whilst One Health started primarily as a veterinary concept, the role of social sciences has since been widely acknowledged. Yet the engagement of social scientists in global One Health activities remains relatively limited. This workshop will attempt to remedy this by bringing together veterinary epidemiologists and social scientists from a wide range of disciplines (e.g. anthropology, archaeology, sociology, geography etc.) to explore the different disciplinary approaches to assessing human-animal-environment health.

The workshop will be framed around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal ‘Partnerships for the Goals’ (SDG17), and will focus on the following four selected SDGs: ‘Zero Hunger’ (SDG2), ‘Good Health and Well-Being’ (SDG3), ‘Gender Equality’ (SDG5) and ‘Life on Land’ (SDG15). Each of these themes will be explored through an introductory presentation, followed by group discussions led by HORN social scientists and other researchers. The sessions will conclude with a summary of the contributions social science can make to addressing issues related to the SDGs within a One Health context.

By promoting multidisciplinarity and offering a platform for discussion, this workshop will train Ethiopian social science academics in One Health, leading to an increased capacity to contribute to and deliver research in this area. It will also facilitate the collaborative development of research ideas and projects, and explore funding opportunities that should lead to the burgeoning of funded collaborative One Health research across disciplines

The workshop aims to:

  • Explore and encourage the potential contribution of social scientists to One Health
  • Promote understanding of social science research approaches among veterinary scientists and others working in the area of One Health
  • Increase academic institutions’ commitment to One Health research in Ethiopia

The objectives are:

  • To sensitise social scientists in Ethiopia to the concept of One Health and create a platform where they can offer their insights and perspectives on relevant issues
  • To share and discuss research methods that can be applied to assess problems at the human-animal-environment interface
  • To brainstorm ideas for One Health research projects in the Horn of Africa that include social science methods and perspectives
  • To facilitate networking of academics, including early career researchers, from diverse disciplines around the concept of One Health

About HORN

The One Health Regional Network for the Horn of Africa (HORN) project is an interdisciplinary, collaborative partnership of the University of Liverpool (UK), Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (UK), International Livestock Research Institute (Kenya & Ethiopia), the University of Nairobi (Kenya), Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia), Jimma University (Ethiopia), Mekele University (Ethiopia) Hamelmalo Agricultural College (Eritrea), iGAD Sheikh Technical Veterinary School (Somaliland) and Amoud University (Somaliland).

One Health is the concept that the health and well-being of people is linked to the health of their animals and the environment. It is nowhere more true than in the Horn of Africa where many people’s livelihoods are highly, or in some cases entirely, dependent on livestock. Animals are culturally, socially and economically vital in the region. Livestock provide, for example, over 60% of agricultural GDP in the Horn, but can also be a source of human disease. Outbreaks of disease in animals thereby directly affect people’s health, but also their wealth and nutrition.

Livestock production and human health and wellbeing in the Horn of Africa can be increased through research, leading to improved agricultural systems; more food and less malnutrition; more financial resilience; and better detection, diagnosis, prevention and control of disease.

HORN’s mission is to improve the health and wealth of the people of the Horn of Africa by increasing the local capacity to undertake high quality research in the interactions between people and animals – One Health.

Eligibility

  1. PhD researchers and members of staff are eligible to participate, and applications from early career/junior researchers are welcomed.
  2. . Applications are open to researchers from Addis Ababa University, Jimma University and Mekelle University.
  3. Applicants must have a Social Science background/be working within Social Science.
  4. We particularly encourage applications from women.
  5. Attendance at the full three days is required, so please ensure you are able to attend all three days before you apply

The cost of attending the workshop for researchers outside of Addis Ababa will be covered by HORN.

To Apply

The application process has now closed.