Regional Seminar: Focal Points for Veterinary Laboratories 2026

Background

The World Organisation for Animal Health’s (WOAH) Global Programme for Capacity Building supports WOAH Delegates and WOAH Focal Points towards providing good governance for improving animal health at the country/territory level while explaining and clarifying their roles and responsibilities within WOAH.

Focal Points (FP) for Veterinary Laboratories, established in 2012, serve as WOAH’s main contact points for laboratory-related matters in Members.

Terms of Reference: Veterinary-Laboratories-National-Focal-Point-TORs.pdf

Regional seminars for FPs provide the participants with knowledge on the rights, commitments and responsibilities of the FPs as well as opportunities to stregnthen network in the region. Most recently, the 4th regional seminar was organised in 2024 in Japan. The seminar covered various topics of interest in the region and also brought the FPs and representatives from WOAH Reference Laboratories (RLs) and Collaborating Centres (CCs).

In this connection, WOAH RRAP, in collaboration with WOAH SRR-SEA, WOAH HQ and Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), WOAH Collaborating Centre for Laboratory Capacity Building, organised a ‘Regional Seminar for FPs for Veterinary Laboratories‘ from 19-21 October 2026, in Geelong, Australia.

The event was followed by a Regional Meeting for WOAH Reference Centre (RC) in Asia and the Pacific on 22 October 2026.

RC representatives were invited to join the third day of the Regional Seminar for WOAH FPs for Veterinary Laboratories on 21 October 2026. Organising these two events in conjunction led to enhanced networking and communication among WOAH, WOAH Members and RCs in matters related to veterinary laboratories.

Objectives

1. Strengthen FPs’ understanding of their roles in veterinary laboratories and enhance their capacity to effectively implement these responsibilities.
2. Provide FPs with updates on WOAH activities related to veterinary laboratories, including available laboratory capacity-building initiatives.
3. Familiarise FPs with laboratory quality management as well as relevant initiatives led by WOAH Reference Centres (RCs).
4. Offer a platform for FPs to engage with peers, RC representatives and WOAH staff, facilitating information exchange and identifying opportunities for collaboration (e.g. capacity building, research).

Pre-Event Online Meeting 

27 August 2026

Key presentations and resources

• WOAH’s Capacity Building System
• Laboratory Quality Management in Asia and the Pacific
• Home | WOAH eLearning Platform