PARIS, France – The 87th General Session of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) opened on Sunday, May 26, at the Maison de la Chimie in Paris, with OIE President Dr Mark Schipp, Delegate of Australia, presiding over the opening ceremony.
Every year, the OIE brings together national delegates from its 182-member countries as well as representatives from its global network of experts and partners to address the challenges in accelerating more resilient animal health systems.
The Hon. Michael Pintard, Bahamas Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, is among delegates participating in the six-day event, which “focuses on adopting new international standards on animal health and welfare and on considering current and future global animal health challenges,” according to the OIE website.
Resolutions discussed during the general assembly, which will conclude on Friday, May 31, will be “formally adopted in plenary sessions by the World Assembly of Delegates of OIE Member Countries,” according to the website.
“To address the pressing global issues relevant to animal health and welfare, new intergovernmental standards will be presented for adoption to OIE national Delegates. Discussions will also emphasise and analyse the current global landscape of animal diseases, including zoonosis.,” the website stated.
At the first working session on Monday, Dr. Monique Eliot, OIE Director General, presented the OIE’s annual report, during which she highlighted “the milestones achieved halfway through the implementation of the 6th Strategic Plan of the Organisation.”
“On Friday, 31 May, the closing day, out-cycle elections will be held for filling vacant positions within the Council and the boards of the Regional Commissions for Asia, Far East and Oceania, Europe and Middle East,” OIE website stated.
The website added: “In addition to the adoption of international standards and resolutions, the OIE General Session is an extraordinary opportunity for participants to meet and discuss on-going projects, and to network within the community of stakeholders involved in animal health.
“In order to foster the exchanges and to enhance the interactivity of the event, new activities will be organised this year on the side of plenary sessions. Several kiosks will be set up every day on various topics, such as the PVS Pathway, activities pertaining to veterinary para-professionals education, rabies national control programmes, public-private partnerships in the veterinary domain, OIE-WAHIS, antimicrobial use data collection, and self-declarations of disease freedom. These aim to help participants get better acquainted with OIE programmes and contact points and see how these can be adapted to their local context.”
