At the beginning of 2009, a tender to host the new WVA secretariat was sent to all WVA members. From the proposals received, the WVA Council agreed unanimously that the FVE would host the new secretariat. After the signature of the contract defining the services that the FVE secretariat would provide for WVA and the transition of the Secretariat from Copenhagen to Brussels, a five year agreement, took effect on the 1st of January 2010.
Jan Vaarten was appointed WVA Executive Secretary and Nancy de Briyne WVA Secretary; they made this position compatible with their work as FVE Executive Director and FVE Secretary, respectively.
In 2012 the FVE hired Zeev Noga to serve as Policy Officer for the WVA, a position he held until 2020. After the retirement of Jan Vaarten in that year, he became the WVA Executive Secretary and held this position until recently stepping down at the beginning of 2023. For over ten years, Zeev Noga has been the recognizable face of the WVA to members and stakeholders alike. He did the hard work and solved the problems with professionalism and enthusiasm.
Samantha Morici, Athanasios Angelou, Emma Van Rooijen, Tisa Kosen, Yael Dotan, Lisa Buren, Yvonne Niño, Diana Teixeira, Megi Tahari are some of the persons that the FVE has placed at the service of the WVA as Policy Officer, assistant or intern, during these many years of collaboration.
Each and every person mentioned above is the most precious contribution FVE has given to the WVA and we thank all deeply for their contribution to our growth and success.
Since FVE began hosting the WVA, the World Veterinary Association has undergone a remarkable evolution, and through continued organization achieved successful growth, improving the relations with global organizations such as WOAH, FAO and WHO, and other important international stakeholders. Namely, building a robust network of public and private institutions. The WVA influence has grown, becoming a true global representative of the veterinary profession and a trusted partner.
In 2021, as the secretariat agreement was approaching its expiration date, the WVA called for letters of interest from professional association secretariats for providing secretariat services. Both the WVA and FVE were interested in FVE continuing to host the WVA Secretariat. But despite the applied time and the sound will shown during the discussions of the FVE Board and the WVA ExCom, a sustainable agreement for both organizations was impossible.
Thereford, the Council unanimously chose the KENES Group as the provider of secretariat services to the WVA. And since the beginning of this year, Kenes with Magda Lourenço as Executive Manager and Yvonne Niño as Policy Officer provide secretarial services to the WVA. A new period of challenges and opportunities opens before the World Veterinary Association.
