African OIE Delegates reach common positions on animal health standards for the 83rd General Session of OIE in May 2015

AU-IBAR, under the scope of the consolidation phase of the project Participation of African Nations in Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standard Setting Organizations (PANSPSO Phase 2), convened the seventh meeting for OIE delegates, from 4th to 6th May 2015 in Nairobi to examine the proposed changes in the OIE Terrestrial and Aquatic Codes submitted for adoption during the General Session of the World Assembly of OIE Delegates to take place in Paris, France from 24th to 29th May 2015.

In attendance were thirty five African Delegates from Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. COMESA, EAC, ECCAS and IGAD were also represented.

Representatives of FAO (ECTAD Nairobi) and OIE (OIE Deputy Regional Representative for Africa, OIE sub-regional office for East Africa, PANVAC and PATTEC) also participated in the meeting.

The African OIE Delegates and the representatives of RECs agreed on common positions that the 54 African countries members of OIE will present at the 83rd General Session of OIE.

During a closed session, the OIE Delegates deliberated on the general elections at the OIE and reached a consensus on the African candidates vying for various positions.

The meeting recommended to African OIE Delegates absent at the meeting in Nairobi to support the common positions in order for Africa to speak with ONE VOICE.

PANSPSO Consolidation phase is a European Union-funded project (Aid for Trade) that is being implemented in all African Union Member States.