On 7 and 8 September, a working meeting of the Executive Board of the Regional Commission and the Members of the WOAH Council for the Americas was held in Panama. Director General Dr Monique Eliot and the Minister of Agricultural Development of Panama, Lic Augusto Valderrama participated in the opening of the event. Dr Eliot and Lic Valderrama welcomed the participants and stressed the importance of giving continuity to the work promoted by WOAH in accordance with the needs of the region.
This meeting was organised with the objective of exchanging proposals to increase the participation of Members from the Americas in WOAH’s global activities, such as participation in the process of developing and updating standards and the work plan.
During the meeting, the Regional Representation, together with the Sub-Regional Representation, presented the proposals for strategic actions for wildlife, aquatic animals, and animal welfare. In addition, they presented the agenda for the next 26th Regional Conference of the Regional Commission for the Americas to be held virtually on 8-9 November and the recommendations of the PGE-ASP meeting held in August.
Dr Luis Barcos, Regional Representative for the Americas, commented about the meeting: “We are very happy to have been able to meet again in person. It has been two days of very fruitful discussions where we were able to address all the most relevant issues for our region and plan our future activities”.
About the Regional Commission
The World Organisation for Animal Health has five Regional Commissions: Africa, Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Middle East, whose role is to study the specific problems of the Veterinary Services and to organise cooperation at regional level.
These Commissions are formed by WOAH’s Delegates and are chaired by an Executive Board composed of a President, two Vice-Presidents and a General Secretary. The board is renewed every three years.
Currently the Executive Board of the Regional Commission for the Americas is composed of:
