Coordinating with allies from Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, the Intersectoral Meetings “One Health Approach and its Importance in the Public Agenda” were held. The meetings were an opportunity to present the strategy of the approach in the Selva Maya Program, generating an exchanging space for its inclusion in the political framework of the Selva Maya region.

On January 20th, 2023, the Intersectoral Meeting was held in Campeche, attended by representatives from the Secretaría de Salud del Poder Ejecutivo del Estado, the Secretaría de Gobierno del Poder Ejecutivo del Estado, the Servicios de Salud del Estado and from the Centro Nacional de Programas Preventivos y Control de Enfermedades (CENAPRECE). The current health care situation of the state’s southern border and the prevention of zoonotic diseases were analyzed. Likewise, Non-governmental organization as BIOS, A.C., shared its participative work in the region and the coordinated actions of communication to prevent diseases due to zoonoses in Mayan communities.

In Yucatán, the Intersectoral Meeting was held on January 24, 2023, with the participation of representatives of the Secretaría de Salud del Estado, the Secretaría de Desarrollo Sustentable del Gobierno del Estado, the Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV, Mérida campus), the CENAPRECE and BIOS, A.C. Here, the exchange of experiences about the application of the One Health Approach to zoonotic diseases in Natural Protected Areas was strengthened.

Finally, on March 22, 2023 in Quintana Roo, the Intersectoral Meeting was held in coordination with representatives of the Secretaría de Educación, the Secretaría de Salud, the Secretaría de Turismo, the Secretaría de Ecología y Medio Ambiente, the Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP), the Instituto de Biodiversidad y Áreas Protegidas del Estado de Quintana Roo, the Colegio de la Frontera Sur and the Universidad Autónoma de Quintana Roo (UQROO), as well as the participation of non-governmental organizations. The dialogue promoted knowledge of the scope of cross-border cooperation, strengthened the experience for preventive strategies of vector-borne diseases and zoonoses, and the importance of bilingual communication in Mayan communities coexisting with wildlife.

Conducting these meetings, a space for intersectoral -state level- dialogue has been generated. This dialogue allows synergies to implement strategies and actions to promote the prevention of zoonotic diseases under coordinated One Health approach, seeking the effective conservation of the Selva Maya, the sustainable use of its resources and the prevention of future pandemics.