In a significant stride towards advancing animal health and husbandry, India is hosting the 33rd Conference of World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Regional Commission for Asia and Pacific in New Delhi. This 4-day event is scheduled from November 13 to 16, 2023.
Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan said in the inaugural session that as per WOAH 69 % of the human infections originate from the animals.
He said that to enhance the high quality veternary service for farmers the Government of India is actively involved in the establishment of mobile veternary unit. Along with this the National Digital Livestiock Mission has recognised the significant potential for digitisation in our country's livestock and dairy sector.
Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Dr L Murugan highlighted the role of fisheries in the eonomy. He added that fisheries sector is playing a major role in the social economic as well as the nutritional requirement of protein This contributes to 1% of the national GDP and 5.37 % of Agri GDP
Delegates and experts from 24 member countries are participating physically, with others joining virtually. The event was graced by dignitaries including Dr. Monique Eloit, WOAH Director General; Dr. Baoxu Huang, President, WOAH Regional Commission of Asia and the Pacific; Dr. Abhijit Mitra, Animal Husbandry Commissioner, GoI and Dr. Hirofumi Kugita, WOAH Regional Representative for Asia and Pacific, Japan.
WOAH was founded as a response to a cattle plague called rinderpest, which swept across the globe, ravaging livestock and devastating livelihoods. The crisis clearly demonstrated how animal diseases can pose a threat to food security and economic growth, and that the global community needed to address them in a coordinated way.
WOAH has five Regional Commissions to express specific problems facing its Members in the different regions of the world. These Commissions are fully fledged regional institutional bodies.
Each Regional Commission organises a Conference every two years in one of the countries of the region. These Conferences are devoted to technical items and to regional cooperation in the control of animal diseases.
Manish Poswal
