Elections for members of Specialist Commissions are held at WOAH General Sessions at the end of 3-year terms.
A procedure was put in place in 2017 for the elections of the experts of the Specialist Commissions (Resolution 16, GS85 2017: Process for the Selection of Experts for Nomination for Election to Specialist Commissions), where preliminary ‘pre-selection’ process involving an ‘evaluation Committee’, the WOAH Council and Director General takes place to select the best possible candidates. Regional Commissions are requested to nominate their regional candidates at their meeting during the WOAH General Session, while they are elected by vote by the World Assembly of Delegates on the last day of the General Session.
Details on the Specialist Commissions and the election process to determine membership are available here.
During the 91st General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates in May 2024, Dr Emanuelle Soubeyran was elected as 8th Director General of WOAH for a five-year mandate (2024-2029).
Previously, Dr Monique Eloit served in the role of Director General of WOAH from 2016 to 2024.
The Director General is appointed by the World Assembly of Delegates by secret vote. The duration of the appointment of the Director General is five years.
The election of the members of the Bureau of the WOAH Regional Commissions was held during the 91st General Session in May 2024.
The election of the council members was held during the 91st General Session in May 2024.
Any Delegate can be proposed to a position within the Bureau of the Regional Commission(4 Members) and the Council (6 Members, the President, Vice-president and Past President) for a 3 year term.
It is always suggested that Regional Commissions ensure the regional balance when proposing its candidates for the different positions. Regional Commissions propose their candidates for the Bureau of the Regional Commissions, and of Council during its annual meeting during the General Session. These proposals are then presented to the World Assembly on Friday for voting.
