• Sessions are an integral part of the congress program, open to all delegates, and may be organized independently, jointly with, or by GOHC.
• Concept notes can only be submitted by not-for-profit research institutions, not-for-profit organizations, or public health institutions.
• Submissions from individuals or commercial entities will not be accepted for review.

• Concept notes can only be submitted online through a conference user profile on https://www.conftool.com/wohc2026/. Submissions by fax, post, or email will not be considered.
• You must create an online user profile, but you don’t need to pay the registration fee to submit your proposal.
• Deadline: The final deadline for submission is 13 March 2026, 23:59 WET.
• Modifications: Concept notes can be modified until the submission deadline.
• Compliance Check: A check-box is provided and is a necessary step before submitting a concept note. If you cannot answer yes, you will be asked to elaborate further.

• Sessions can be either 40 minutes or 90 minutes.
• Standard room setup and audio-visual equipment will be included (all auditoriums have a standard theatre style set-up).
• Costs: Any additional setup and A/V requirements, chair and speaker costs (including registration, travel, accommodation, food, and beverage) will be at the expense of your organization.
• Gender Balance: Sessions must comply with GOHC’s commitment to strive for a gender balance in all suggested panels and sessions.

Topics for concept note submissions include, but are not limited to, the following 12 themes: 

1. Climate change, Environment, & Ecosystems Health
2. Biodiversity, Wildlife & Pathogen Interfaces
3. Food Systems, Agriculture & Plant Health
4. Pathogens, Microbiome & Intervention Strategies
5. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
6. Data, Technology & Innovative Analytics
7. Knowledge, Education & Communities
8. Governance, Policy & Legal Frameworks
9. One Health Implementation & Financing
10. Preparedness, Resilience & Economic Evaluation
11. Biosecurity, Biosafety & Global Health Security
12. The critical role of the private sector in One Health policy

• All concept notes must be written in English.
• A standard font, e.g., Arial, should be used when formatting the text.
• It is the author's responsibility to submit a correct concept note. Any errors in spelling, grammar, or scientific fact will be reproduced as typed. Session titles will be subject to a spell check if the session is selected.

• The text body is limited to 450 words.
• Titles are limited to 30 words.
• A maximum of three tables (10 words per row) and three graphs/images (50 words each) can be included (uploaded separately in JPG, GIF, or PNG, ideally 600 dpi).

A short description of the session's aim and significance is mandatory (min 75 - max 450 words), and must include: 

• Introductory sentence(s) providing the background.
• Importance / innovation / impact / relevance of the proposed session.
• The educational outcome of the session (how it will benefit the audience).
• Proposed talk titles and speakers (keep titles clear, succinct, and appropriate; adhere to rules and recommendations regarding parity and diversity).
• Proposed chairs (you may involve more junior chairs alongside a senior chair, provided they have the right expertise).

GOHC may share your contribution to the 9th World One Health Congress via social media. You are invited to provide a 250 characters maximum message that summarizes the main content of your work. Please also provide the platform and social media handle of the submitting author. This section will help us promote successful concept note driven sessions, and your social media description is not included in the word count.

All submissions will undergo a peer-review process carried out by an international reviewing committee. Each submission will be reviewed by at least two reviewers based on five criteria: 

1. Relevance & Timeliness: Alignment with the congress theme, current pressing One Health challenges, and significant emerging issues. (weight 30%)
2. Multidisciplinary Integration and Impact: The extent to which the session truly integrates perspectives from human, animal, and environmental health, rather than presenting them in isolation. (weight 30%)
3. Diversity & Inclusion (Panel/Speakers): Gender balance, representation from different geographical regions, career stages (e.g., early-career researchers), and sectors (academia, government, NGO, private). (weight 20%)
4. Clarity of Objectives & Format: Clear, measurable learning objectives and an engaging, well-defined session format (e.g., panel discussion, interactive case study). (weight 10%)
5. Potential Audience Appeal: Likelihood of attracting a broad and interested audience based on the topic and proposed speakers. (weight 10%)

• Selection: Proposals may be accepted as originally submitted, only in part, or following adaptation/merging with other proposals. Adaptation factors include content, novelty, speaker quality, gender and geographical balance, and overlap with other submissions. The results will not be discussed.
• Submission Confirmation: A confirmation email will be sent to the submitter and all co-authors after submission. Ensure emails from wohc2026@conftool.com are not filtered as spam.
• Acceptance/Rejection: Notification will be sent only to the submitting (corresponding) author, who is responsible for informing all co-authors of the status. Accepted authors will receive further instructions.

Your concept note, if accepted, may appear in its full form in the abstract book and on the virtual conference platform.

• By submitting, presenters and chairs agree to be available for the entire duration of the congress.
• Requests to change allocated time slots cannot be guaranteed and will be considered case-by-case.
• The congress organizer reserves the right to change presentation dates and times if needed, making every effort to find a suitable alternative.

Any questions regarding the abstract submission should be addressed to annick.mannaerts@globalohc.org.