It was indeed a One Health-y Day in Malaysia on the 16th of November 2025! Malaysia One Health University Network (MyOHUN) organised its first celebration of One Health Day along with a special launching of the One Health Malaysia Youth-Exchange (OHMY-X) series at Marina Putrajaya. The day was made extra special with the support and presence of YB Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Malaysia Minister of Health as the Guest of Honour.
The vibrant event brought together over 150 students, along with academics, and multisectoral agency representatives from the Ministry of Health, Department of Veterinary Services, Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Peninsular Malaysia as well as from polytechnic and vocational college lecturers from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education.
The ceremony began with the welcoming remarks from Professor Dr Abdul Rahman Omar, President of MyOHUN who congratulated the committee members in their collaborative teamwork and effort to bringing all the late-night plannings and preparation to life. This was followed by a passionate officiating speech by the Minister of Health, YB Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad who expressed his admiration of the energy and faith in youths as the leaders, advocates and champions in providing solutions for One Health issues faced today; from antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic diseases, foodborne diseases, climate change, among many others. YB Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly also emphasised for the importance of working out of silos, coming in together and contributing whole-heartedly to attaining One Health, under the overarching Planetary Health vision in Malaysia.
The officiating ceremony continued with the recitation of the very own One Health Pledge, co-written and lead by Dr Sajidah, Dalina, Anis Amira and Syafeeq, and recited by students from various backgrounds and disciplines from UPM, UKM, and UM. The pledge was beautifully written which ended with a powerful vow: “Jaga alam, maka alam, akan jaga manusia”—a true reflection of care, empathy, unity, interconnectedness and commitment to each and every single living and non-living elements on planet earth.
This was then followed by a symbolic moment whereby the Minister was invited to come on stage to place “MyOHUN the Orangutan” into a mengkuang basket surrounded by trees, representing care, empathy, kindness, respect and interdependency of us human beings along with the entire elements on planet earth; all animals and the shared environment and ecosystem, in the pursuit of One Health.
YB Datuk Seri Dzulkefly then spent his time to interact with attendees and visited the MyOHUN booth along with leaving his autograph on the One Health Tree interactive art poster, before leaving.
The day continued with OHMY-X: Special Edition. The session began with a special performance by Assoc Prof Dr Arifin Kaderi from IIUM who played a special musical instrument called the Swiss Hang to which the poem “The Sound of One Health” was recited by two students from UPM, Nabeeha and Suzie
The event switched up its gear one level up by an energetic interactive session lead by Dr Eliani Ezani from UPM who conducted a fun and engaging games and quick Q&A session with all students. Winners won special, exclusive prizes from MyOHUN
Thank you to all partners and youth leaders for making our One Health Day 2025 celebration a fun, sweet and memorable day for everyone! May we all aspire and continue to uphold the core values and principles of One Health, strengthening our unity in diversity to protect the health of our nation as a whole; which also includes the health of our animals and our shared environment. Together we can attain and achieve One Health.
ABOUT OHMY-X:
The OHMY-X series is envisioned as the youth-chapter of MyOHUN, and serves as a dynamic platform for exchange of ideas and conversations across disciplines, generations, locations, and cultures, encouraging young leaders to explore, learn, and empower each other in a casual, relaxed, yet fulfilling environment. Stay tuned for the next OHMY-X series! Join the youth-driven One Health movement, spark new ideas, and help shape a healthier, shared future—together!
MyOHUN would like to acknowledge the wonderful contribution, energy and commitment of the entire organising committee team
Special thanks to the Office of Minister of Health Malaysia and Zoonoses Sector under the Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation (WHO) country office for their unwavering support, contribution and assistance.