The WVA Council 2024-2026 met in-person in The Hague, The Netherlands, from the 11-12th of July. This was a highly anticipated moment of onboarding for the newly elected members of Council. The Secretariat, Council and Executive members reviewed multiple business and administrative decisions.
The first day of the meeting began with the President’s update Secretariat’s updates following by a fun and interactive onboarding session. This session outlined the Constitutional responsibilities of the Councillors, the processes of decision making, operations, as well as the funding/finances of the WVA. It was also an opportunity for the Council members to learn the history of WVA and our evolution throughout the past 151 years.
Part of the afternoon was dedicated to a group exercise. The Councillors were divided into 4 groups and each group put together a WVA Pitch, which was then presented it to the group. The resulting pitches will aid in the creation of a template of WVA narratives that the Ah Hoc Communications Group will soon oversee.
The rest of the first day was dedicated to business issues such as an update of the WVA registry and keeping of its historical records. The day ended with a WVA Council dinner which included the gracious presence and words of welcome from the Royal Dutch Veterinary Association represented its President Dr Sophie Deleu and Board Member Dr Rens van Dobbenburgh.
The second day was packed with crucial topics and proposals for voting, including factsheets, position statements, projects’ discussion and approval and multiple other updates. Chairs of all Committees and Working Groups provided regular reports and upcoming plans. The day ended with a Workshop on Strategy as a means to further assist the Ad Hoc Strategy Committee in the making of the new WVA Strategy.
