Rwanda has demonstrated exceptional leadership in adopting and operationalizing the One Health approach to address complex health challenges. Following the devastating 1994 genocide, Rwanda embarked on an ambitious healthcare transformation that has yielded remarkable results: doubling life expectancy, achieving universal health coverage with 90% of the population enrolled in community-based health insurance, and becoming one of only two sub-Saharan African countries to meet all Millennium Development Goals for health. Building on this foundation, Rwanda formally adopted the One Health approach through the development and implementation of its One Health Strategic Plan 2021-2026 and subsequently the AMR National Action Plan 2.0, both of which explicitly integrate human, animal, plant, and environmental health sectors. In November 2024, Rwanda convened over 500 stakeholders—including policymakers, healthcare professionals, veterinarians, environmental specialists, researchers, and civil society leaders—for the National Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance, demonstrating the country’s commitment to multi-sectoral collaboration and evidence-based health interventions. Rwanda actively contributes to the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS), positioning itself among the minority of African countries with systematic AMR surveillance. This engagement reflects Rwanda’s recognition that robust data systems are essential for guiding policy, tracking disease trends, and responding effectively to emerging health threats. The Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), Rwanda Development Board (RDB) through its tourism and wildlife conservation mandate, and the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), has been working to strengthen coordination mechanisms for addressing health threats at the human-animal-environment interface. However, until now, disease surveillance systems have operated largely in silos, with limited integration between human, animal, and wildlife health sectors. To address these critical gaps, the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), with technical support from the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), developed the electronic Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (e-IDSR) system. This transformative digital platform enables real-time, multisectoral reporting from human health, veterinary, wildlife, and environmental sectors, creating the infrastructure necessary for operationalizing One Health principles in practice.
