April 9-10, 2026
organized by
Centre for Research, ACPG & IQAC
Maitreyi College (Accredited A++ by NAAC), University of Delhi
under the aegis of
Vantage: Journal of Thematic Analysis
(A multidisciplinary publication of Centre for Research)
Theme of the Conference:
One Health: A System Approach to Humans, Animals and Environment Well-being
CONCEPT NOTE
In the Anthropocene era, urbanization, industrialization and globalization have improved human life, but at the same time led to global crises including emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, non communicable diseases, climate change, portable water scarcity, pollution, biodiversity loss and impacted food security. It has starkly laid bare the fragility and severe limitations of the prevalent approach to health, that treats human, animal and environmental well-being separately, as distinct from each other.
The emergence of One Health approach is significant against the backdrop. It offers a framework which, in a way, reimagines health. Challenging the fragmentary approach, it is premised on the interconnectedness and interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health. Diseases and health threats do not exist in isolation but are an outcome of the human-animal-environment interface. An interdisciplinary approach, it attempts to balance between health of people, animal , ecosystems, emphasizing the inter-dependencies and the need for collaboration across local, regional, national and global sectors. Among other things, it throws light on how diseases generate stigma and inequalities, particularly vis-à-vis the marginalised communities, triggering a process of othering of these.
However, despite the promise, the implementation of One Health continues to be a challenge. Compartmentalization of disciplinary knowledge, fragmented governance, sector specific funding, among other issues, prevents the realization of this promise.
The conference attempts to address this lacuna. It provides a forum for a multidisciplinary dialogue, between diverse voices, from diverse systems of knowledge to develop an integrative framework, paving way for a comprehensive sustainable well-being. We look forward to participation from practitioners, professionals, and academicians from varied fields: Public Health, Veterinary Medicine, Ecology, Environmental science, Sociology, Social anthropology, Law, Urban Planning, and more.
Suggested themes but not limited to:
Zoonoses, pandemic
Environmental health
Animal health/welfare
Cultural Perspectives on health, illness, nature
Indigenous and local knowledge,
Stigma, community response to disease
Ethnographies of care, multispecies relationships, coexistence
Animal rights and rights to nature,
Development, sustainability, wellbeing.
Plant Health as a Pillar of One Health: Linking Crop Resilience, Ecosystem Stability, and Human Well-being
Medicinal Plants and Natural Products in Advancing One Health.
Plant-Derived Bioactives and Sustainable Solutions to Antimicrobial Resistance
Plant Health, Food Security, and Ecosystem Resilience
