The World Organisation for Animal Health, OIE, is an intergovernmental organisation which supports, coordinates, and promotes animal disease control. Its headquarters are situated in Paris and the organisation strive towards controlling and preventing epizootic diseases. Likewise, the OIE works towards scientific information, transparency, sanitary and food safety, animal welfare, international solidarity, and promoting the Veterinary Services.
It has over 182 member states and it is recognized as a reference organisation by the World Trade Organization. The OIE is institutionally and financially independent and autonomous. Its activities are governed by its own constitutional texts and under the authority of a Committee consisting of delegates of the contracting Governments.
The History of OIE
There was a huge need for a body which will fight animal diseases on a global level. So, in 1924, the Office International des Epizooties was formed. Then, in May 2003, the Office International des Epizooties was renamed the World Organisation for Animal Health. However, the organisation kept its initial acronym. In 2017, the OIE was designated as an organisation entitled to benefits of the International Organizations Immunities Act. The founder and first General Director of the OIE was Dr Emmanuel Leclainche.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
The OIE is an international organisation which works with an aim to improve animal health and welfare all over the world. It consists of over 182 member countries and works for over 90 years to the global animal health situation. Likewise, the work of the OIE includes transparency of diseases transmissible to humans, updating and publishing disease prevention methods, and ensuring the sanitary safety of world trade in animals and their products.
The Delegates of the OIE Member Countries have adopted international standards, which are recognized as a reference by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The activities conducted by the OIE are based on standards, transparency, expertise, and solidarity. The OIE supports and helps its member countries by improving the structure of their national animal health systems in line with the international standards of the organisation.
The OIE has a responsibility to provide all available information regarding exceptional disease events occurring in these countries, follow-up reports about these events, six-monthly reports about the OIE-listed disease situations in each country, and annual reports providing further background information on animal health, on laboratory and vaccine production facilities.
Read more about the World Veterinary Association.