OIE: 22nd Conference of the OIE Regional Commission for the Americas

The 22nd Conference of the World Organisation for Animal Health’s (OIE) Regional Commission for the Americas, which counts 29 Member Countries, was held in Guadalajara (Jalisco), Mexico from November 10th to 14th, 2014.

The event gathered several high level representatives of the OIE’s Council, the OIE’s Headquarters, its Regional and Sub-regional Representations, the national Delegates from the Member Countries of the OIE Regional Commission for the Americas as well as the Delegates of Spain and New Zealand as observer countries from other regions. Representatives of concerned international and regional organisations and numerous observers also participated.

Several key issues involving the Member Countries of the region, with special emphasis on the following matters were also deliberated:

• the implementation by OIE's of the "One health" approach;
• the enhanced participation of all Member Countries of the region in OIE standard-setting activities concerning animal diseases control and animal welfare;
• actions taken by Canada to control Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea (PED);
• the new initiatives of the OIE’s PVS (Performance of Veterinary Services) Pathway;
• the impact of the OIE Capacity Building Programme in the relationship between the OIE Delegates and the OIE National Focal Points;
• the preparation of the OIE's 6th Strategic Plan (2016-2020), and its perspectives for the region of the Americas. (Consult the current Strategic Plan of the OIE).

The discussions were fruitful and the recommendations adopted will be submitted to the OIE World Assembly and its 180 national Delegates in Paris, on May 2015, for final adoption.