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Call for experts to join WOAH’s Specialist Commissions
Be a member of one of WOAH’s
Specialist Commissions
Call opens: 3 July 2023
Call closes: 8 September 2023
WOAH is launching a call for nomination to establish a list of experts from which the World Assembly of Delegates will elect members and nominate Presidents and Vice Presidents to the following four Specialist Commissions:
Terrestrial Animal Health
Standards Commission
Aquatic Animal Health
Standards Commission
Scientific Commission
on Animal Diseases
Biological Standards
Commission
See detailed Guidance describing the process here.
Are you a potential candidate ?
- Are you an internationally recognised veterinarian or expert with broad knowledge and practical experience in terrestrial or aquatic animal health and welfare?
- Do you want to make an active contribution in the development of WOAH standards to improve aquatic and terrestrial animal health and welfare and veterinary public health worldwide?
- Are you highly proficient in English (listening, reading, speaking and writing)?
- Do you have good communication and analytical skills to work in an intercultural environment?
- Can you obtain your WOAH Delegate’s endorsement and your employer’s support to commit the time needed to undertake the work and attend meetings in Paris between May 2023 and May 2027?
If you answered yes to all questions, then read more to learn how to apply.
Application Process
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Apply
Read the guidance
Check whether you are eligible, you have the required expertise and you are able to commit the time required to fulfil the role.
Fill the online application
Apply by completing the online application form in English and upload a brief CV in English (max 4 pages) with relevant educational qualifications, experience or publications. Apply between 3 July and 8 September, midnight CET.
Obtain endorsement letter
Demonstrate that you are supported by a WOAH Delegate. Obtain a letter of endorsement from the Delegate of your native country or your country of residence.
Demonstrate compliance
Demonstrate compliance with the evaluation criteria described in the Annex III of the Guidance document by providing a short text for: professional competencies (Qualifications, International Standards, Scientific Technical Expertise) attributes and skills (Communication and Analytical skills, Intercultural Awareness and teamwork skills). Demonstrate your proficiency in English.
Confirm employer support and availability
Indicate whether your employer supports your application, given the high level of time commitment required and that you can commit the time required to fulfil the role. WOAH covers travel cost (in economy class) and a per diem to attend the two annual meetings but does not provide an honorarium.
Confirm authority to act
Confirm having the ability and the authority to act in your personal and independent capacity and not as a representative of your employer or national government.
Please take note that:
- Only applications submitted through the online application system will be accepted.
- The system does not allow the applicants to save an incomplete application to return to it later. We recommend that applicants prepare their application on a separate document to copy-paste text into the online form, when ready to submit. Consult Annex IV of the Guidance document to check the information needed to complete the form.
- Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.
More Resources
-
Guidance, Guidelines
Call for Experts: Guidance for WOAH Delegates and Applicants on the Selection process
.pdf – 226 KB See the document -
Guidance, Guidelines
Call for Experts: Evaluation Criteria for election to WOAH Specialist Commissions (ANNEX III)
.pdf – 755 KB See the document -
.pdf – 79 KB See the document
-
Factsheet, Infographic
Call for Experts: One pager Announcement
.pdf – 85 KB See the document
Frequently Asked Questions
Internationally recognised veterinarians or experts with broad knowledge and expertise in some of the following areas (see selection criteria for more detail):
Expertise in major diseases of terrestrial or aquatic animals (including WOAH listed diseases).
Expertise in animal health aspects of international trade in terrestrial or aquatic animals and their products in the context of the WTO SPS Agreement, the control of animal diseases, animal welfare and veterinary public health.
Expertise in surveillance, diagnosis, prevention and control of diseases of terrestrial animals (mammals, reptiles, birds or bees), or aquatic animals (amphibians, crustaceans, fish or molluscs).
Expertise in policies on the assessment and control or eradication of diseases, risk analysis, epidemiology, vaccinology applied to disease prevention and control.
Expertise in laboratory diagnosis, standards for biological products, diagnostic preparations, vaccines and immune sera, veterinary laboratory management, biosafety and biosecurity, vaccine production, test validation, laboratory quality assurance, epidemiology, genomics and new scientific technologies.
Availability to attend multi-day meetings twice a year in Paris and many other virtual meetings during the year, to read and prepare many large documents, to draft and review reports and guidelines, to provide expertise on ad hoc basis and to participate in other WOAH activities.
Please note that WOAH Delegates are not eligible to apply due to the potential conflict of interest associated with their role as WOAH Delegate and the time required to fulfil the role of a Commission member.
The aim of this call for experts is to establish a list of suitable experts from which the World Assembly of Delegates will elect one President, two Vice Presidents, and three members for each of the four Specialist Commissions: the Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission, the Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission, the Biological Standards Commission and the Science Commission for Animal Diseases. Candidates are elected for a term of three (3) years from May 2024 to May 2027
The four Specialist Commissions play a key role in the development and revision of WOAH International Standards. They collaborate with its global scientific network, are responsible for the official recognition of animal health status, provide advice on epidemiology, prevention and control of animal diseases and various other aspects of WOAH’s scientific work programmes, they deal with scientific and technical issues related to the above and are responsible for evaluating the applications, overseeing the work programmes and managing the network of WOAH Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres. Each Specialist Commission has one President, two Vice-Presidents and three members and they meet formally at least twice per year to discuss and agree on a range of items from their respective work plan.
If elected, you will be part of an international, interdisciplinary team contributing to the development of international standards and recommendations aimed at improving terrestrial and aquatic animal health and welfare worldwide. Working with WOAH and its international scientific networks will provide you with unique opportunities to interact with other internationally recognised experts in the fields of terrestrial or aquatic animal health, disease diagnosis, prevention and control and animal welfare in the related international trade environment.
The Nomination Evaluation Committee (NEC) comprises representatives from WOAH Headquarters and independent experts. The NEC will evaluate the applications against the competencies and the personal skills and attributes to determine their suitability for election to a Specialist Commission. The NEC will define a list of experts suitable to be nominated for election as members for each of the Specialist Commissions, which will be provided to WOAH Director General and WOAH Council for endorsement.
Delegates will be informed of the list of suitable candidates prior to the elections, which will take place during the 91th General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates in May 2024.
The call for nominations of experts for election to the WOAH Specialist Commissions will open on Monday 3 July 2023 and close on Friday 8 September 2023.