World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Director-General Visits the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) Headquarters in Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya, 18 February , The African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) Headquarters in Kenya had the honour of receiving the Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Dr Emmanuelle Soubeyran, and the Deputy Director General, Dr Baba Soumaré, together with colleagues from the WOAH Sub-Regional Representation for Eastern Africa.

AU-IBAR highly values its longstanding and well-established collaboration with WOAH, which continues to be guided by the recently renewed Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions. This partnership remains a cornerstone of continental efforts to strengthen animal health systems and veterinary governance across Africa.

The meeting provided an opportunity for productive and forward-looking discussions with the WOAH delegation on enhancing the coordination of ongoing joint initiatives. Particular emphasis was placed on accelerating the eradication of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in Africa, a flagship continental priority for safeguarding small ruminant production, protecting livelihoods and strengthening food and nutrition security.

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Both institutions reaffirmed their strong commitment to the Global PPR Eradication Programme and agreed to further align technical support, capacity-building efforts and advocacy actions to support Member States in achieving the 2030 eradication target. Strengthening vaccine quality assurance, surveillance systems and coordinated field implementation were highlighted as key areas for intensified collaboration.

Discussions also covered the Africa Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Forum for the veterinary domain, as well as joint interventions aimed at eliminating dog-mediated rabies in Africa and advancing the control of other transboundary animal diseases (TADs).

The outcomes of the meeting underscore the critical importance of AU-IBAR-WOAH synergies in delivering measurable impact on the ground. Through this reinforced partnership, both organisations will continue to support Member States in building resilient animal health systems, improving animal welfare and enhancing the performance of livestock and aquatic value chains.

Sustained collaboration between AU-IBAR and WOAH remains essential to facilitating safe intra-African and international trade in animals and animal products, while contributing to broader continental goals of agricultural transformation and economic resilience.