6th meeting of the REMESA Joint Permanent Committee

The OIE Sub-Regional Representation for North Africa organised in collaboration with France and Morocco the sixth Joint Permanent Committee (JPC) of the Mediterranean Animal Health Network (REMESA in French) in Montpellier on 12 and 13 November 2012. Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) and representatives of REMESA Member Countries (see reminder below), European Commission, FAO and OIE participated in this meeting co-chaired by the CVOs from France and Morocco, who hold co-chairmanship of REMESA for 2012. The CVO of Malta and the Cyprus CVO representative participated as observers. Greece, also invited as an observer, apologized and the UMA (Arab Maghreb Union) Secretariat could not answer the invitation.

The programme was structured around the following themes: animal health situation in the region, project of animal health Mediterranean meeting on the role of farmers in the health agenda, signature of the REMESA Cooperation Framework, FAO – OIE activity report, cooperation and twinning in the region, REMESA development and funding, presentations of the CaribVET network, the information system on animal mobility and the French expertise on animal vectors.

The signature of the REMESA Cooperation Framework will define a clear strategy with an associated action plan. A summary table of all actions and animal health collaborations in the area will be developed by the representations of FAO and OIE in Tunis, for each JPC. The example of Caribvet (Caribbean Animal Health Network) reminds us on how the notions of time and appropriation are important in the establishment of a regional network that should be based in particular on trust and exchange of information between member countries.

The REMESA Co-Presidency for 2013 will be held by Libya and Portugal. The next JPC meeting will be organized on 4 and 5 April 2013 in Portugal (Algarve, to be confirmed). The French and Moroccan co-chairmen thanked the REMESA Secretariat (managed by the OIE Sub regional representation for North Africa), CIRAD and FVI (France Vétérinaire International) for organising this JPC.