First General Assembly of the REEV-Med network (Rabat)

About fifty participants representing establishments for veterinary education from Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Morocco and Tunisia attended the first General Assembly of the Mediterranean Network of Establishments for Veterinary Education (REEV-Med). This meeting was held the 27 and 28 September 2012 at the Agronomy and Veterinary Institute Hassan II in Rabat (IAV Hassan II).

At the opening of the General Assembly in the presence of Dr. Jaouad Berrada, Chief Veterinary Officer of Morocco and Director General of ONSSA (National office of food safety), the President of the Executive Committee, Prof. Noursaid Tligui (IAV Hassan II, Morocco) and the REEV-Med Coordinator, Prof. André Laurent Parodi (National Veterinary School of Alfort, France) gave the floor to Dr. Bernard Vallat, who presented the vision, the perspectives and the OIE policies on veterinary education. Support from Italy through the OIE World Fund was stressed on this occasion by Dr. Vallat who assured the participants of the support of the OIE for the establishment and the development of REEV-Med.

The General Assembly also allowed representatives of EVE to participate in the election of members of the Executive Committee. Composition of the Bureau is detailed below:

3 Associate members(2 Years)

Prof. Hani Mohamed Gohar (Cairo, Egypt)
Prof. Fella Hafsi Redjimi (Alger, Algeria)
Prof. Eugenio Scanziani (Milan, Italy)

Prof. André Laurent Parodi (Alfort, France) currently REEV-Med coordinator was also elected permanent Honorary Chairman.

Reminder : The creation of the REEV-Med network is the result of a process initiated in October 2010 in Paris (workshop at the National Veterinary School of Alfort in collaboration with the TAIEX Office of the European Commission) and continued in March 2012 during a meeting held in the premises of the Veterinary Faculty of Cordoba in Spain. The development of this network is in line with the recommendations of the global conferences on Veterinary Education held in Paris in October 2009 and in Lyon in May 2011. Harmonization and standardization of veterinary training in the southern Mediterranean region are among the objectives of the REEV-Med, in particular to eventually lead to mutual recognition of degrees.

To achieve its objectives, the REEV-Med will use the tools and materials developed by the OIE, including:

The OIE recommendations on minimum competencies expected of graduating veterinarians (‘Day 1 graduates’) to ensure the high quality of national Veterinary Services,
Guidelines on the veterinary basic curriculum
The guide for twinning projects between establishments for veterinary education.

The REEV-Med has also received support from the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE) who will actively participate in the process of evaluating establishments for veterinary education in the region.

Finally, the Sub-Regional Representation of the OIE for North Africa based in Tunis will provide the secretariat of the network. It will collaborate with the Executive Committee in particular to prepare the agenda of the General Assembly and to develop program of activities and budget.