Veterinary Services (VS) are considered a global public good. They are critical to global and national health security, food security and food safety, agricultural and rural development, poverty alleviation, safe national and international trade, wildlife health and environmental protection. To achieve these goals, the VS require good governance, including effective policy and management, personnel and resources, veterinary professionals and interaction with stakeholders using the intersectoral One Health approach.
A key element in achieving good governance of VS is veterinary legislation. Likewise, the One Health collaboration at the animal-human-plant-environment interface, including emerging and endemic zoonotic diseases (including foodborne diseases), transboundary animal diseases (TADs), food safety, environmental health, disaster preparedness and response, and strengthening of health systems requires a legal framework delineating the respective responsibilities of each actor, including the authority to act regarding an emergency event.
To support the legislative strengthening in South-East Asia, the WOAH Sub-Regional Representation for SEA (SRR-SEA) together with the WOAH Veterinary Legislation Support Programme (VLSP) established a consultancy to produce a comprehensive review of legislation for twelve countries in the SEA region (all ten members of ASEAN, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea) relating to animal disease control (SEA Veterinary Legislation Review.
In this context, the WOAH SRR-SEA and VLSP will organise the Virtual Meeting on Veterinary Legislation Review in South-East Asia on 9 July 2024. The meeting will provide details of the legislation review in animal disease control to WOAH Members in SEA and address strengths and weaknesses in the legislation assessed, along with key outcomes and recommendations.
The Virtual Meeting on Veterinary Legislation Review in South-East Asia aims to provide the details of the SEA veterinary legislation review relevant to animal disease control, including the strengths and weaknesses of the legislation and proposed recommendations at the national and regional levels.
This activity contributes to the WOAH 7th Strategic Plan (2021-2025) focusing on the area of Responding to Members’ needs.
