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WVA Information: Presentation to the 75th General Session of OIE, Paris, 22nd May 2007
Posted by: JimEdwards on May 31, 2007 - 02:40 PM
WVDay
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 Dr. Leon H. Russell, President, World Veterinary Association presented a brief report to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
Dr Russell thanked Dr. Vallat, Director General, for his support of the 2002 collaborative agreement between the OIE and the WVA in areas of mutual interest. These include the role of the veterinary profession in animal health and animal welfare; and the relationships between “non-official’ private veterinarians, paraprofessionals and “official” veterinary services; and, control and eradication of avian influenza (HPAI).
The new activities of the WVA include an area of greater activity, which are of interest to the OIE. One of the up most importances is an increased focus on current animal welfare issues that can be affected by global veterinary medicine. The WVA just launched the Veterinary Animal Welfare Network or VAWN. Using the WVA website, the VAWN will communicate animal welfare matters to the global veterinary community.
President Russell presented the WVA’s celebration of an annual World Veterinary Day (WVD), which has contributed to a positive public image of the veterinarian’s activity in animal health and animal welfare issues. Since 2000, there has been an annual celebration to recognize the veterinary medical widely throughout the world. On 28 April 2007, it was celebrated from Pakistan to Ghana, from India to New Zealand, and from Nepal to the USA.
 The WVA and OIE have now agreed on the creation of the World Veterinary Day Award to recognize the most successful celebration of the veterinary profession by national veterinary associations, alone, or in cooperation with any other selected veterinary body. The first WVA/OIE World Veterinary Day Award will be selected in 2008, and it will be based on the theme “Celebrate Our Diversity”
There will be a tool kit for a guide to the WVD Award. The Applicants should use “tool kit” to create events that reach an audience not reached by traditional events. These events should be public events, organized with support of the media, open days, competitions, or any event that could create attention and get the messages out to a large number of people.
The WVD Award criteria are as follows:
-Subject addressed to celebrate the event, specific audience for which it was organized and the attendance rate.
-Press coverage received
-Number of non veterinarians and veterinarians attracted to event
-Proposed actions to be taken as a follow up
The WVD activities of the events should be oriented towards:
-Strengthen the veterinary profession and national veterinary services against natural or intentional biological disasters.
-Animal production food safety: the role of the veterinarian at farm, abattoirs, agro-industries, and entire food chain.
-Veterinarians in the provision of animal health services: from companion animals to farm animals and wildlife.
-National veterinary associations: the role of private veterinarian and his/her relationship to the national veterinary services. (There is need for increased communication and bonding between the national veterinary associations and national Veterinary Services to help facilitate rapid identification, response and elimination of newly emerging diseases.)
The WVA/OIE World Veterinary Award will consist of US$ 1,000 prize money and a WVD Award plaque. The Award will be presented at the OIE Symposium of 2008 World Veterinary Congress, July 27-31, 2008 in Vancouver
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