Working Groups

WOAH permanent Working Groups are responsible for continuingly reviewing developments in their fields, and for keeping WOAH Members informed of current issues.

Two Working Groups are currently operating:

Working Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Following the adoption of Resolution no. 14 “WOAH’s engagement in the One Health Global Effort to Control Antimicrobial Resistance” by the World Assembly of WOAH Delegates in May 2019, a Working Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) was established to support the implementation of the WOAH Strategy on Antimicrobial Resistance and the Prudent Use of Antimicrobials and the organisation’s capacity to respond to global challenges according to its mandate.

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Working Group on Wildlife

Founded in 1994, this Wildlife Working Group informs and advises the WOAH on all health problems relating to wild animals, whether in the wild or in captivity. It has prepared recommendations and oversees numerous scientific publications on the surveillance and control of the most important specific wildlife diseases. The Working Group comprises world-leading scientific experts in their subject areas.

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Calendar of the Working Groups meetings
2024FebAprilOctNov
AMR 27-29 29-31 
Wildlife 15-18 12-15

Two Working Groups achieved their remit; therefore their mandate was not renewed in 2017 (per resolutions 32 and 33 from the 85th General Session):

Working Group on Animal Welfare

A Working Group on Animal Welfare was established in 2002 to coordinate and manage the animal welfare activities of the WOAH. Animal welfare activities are now well integrated in the work of the WOAH through the Global Animal Welfare Strategy adopted in May 2017.

Reports of the past Animal Welfare Working Group are available on the WOAH website.

Working Group on Food Safety

A Working Group on Food Safety was established in 2002 to coordinate and manage the animal production food safety activities of the WOAH. Animal production food safety topics are now well integrated in the work of the WOAH. The WOAH and Codex continue to collaborate closely in the development of their respective standards relevant to the whole food production continuum.

Reports of the past Working Group on Food Safety are available on the WOAH website

Terms of reference and Internal rules

Chapter 1 – Establishment and terms of reference

Working Groups of the WOAH shall be established in order to cover the technical or scientific topic specified at their establishment. Working Groups may be established for either a fixed or an indeterminate period.

These Working Groups shall have as an essential mandate:

  • to carry out, on the occasion of regular annual meetings, all the work necessary to collect, analyse, disseminate and assess progress in knowledge within the sphere of their competence.
  • to inform the Director General of their results in order to improve services rendered to or to resolve problems experienced by WOAH Member Countries   within their special sphere.
  • to respond to the Director General on questions addressed to them in matters of their competence.

Ad hoc Groups of the WOAH shall be established by the Director General and shall have a more limited competence than Working Groups. They function only for a specified period. They shall respond to the Director General on questions addressed to them in matters of their competence.

Chapter 2 – Internal rules of Working groups

Article 1
Working Groups shall be formed by decision of the Assembly upon recommendation by the Director General in accordance with Chapter 11 of the General Rules.

Article 2
Each Working Group shall include a chairperson, a rapporteur and not less than two other members. To the extent possible Working Groups should have an adequate geographic representation.

Article  3
Members of Working Groups shall be nominated by the Director General for a renewable period of three years.

Article 4
All members shall be specialists recognised at an international level, and shall be selected for their competence.

Article 5
At each annual Session, the Director General shall report the  composition of  existing Working Groups, which he shall submit to the World Assembly of Delegates (“the Assembly”) for approval.
 
Article 6
In the exercise of their functions for the WOAH, members of Working Groups and ad hoc Groups shall serve the Organization exclusively; in that capacity they may not request or receive instructions from any government or authority external to the Organisation.

Members of Working Groups and ad hoc Groups shall provide the Director General with a statement covering potential conflicts of interest between themselves and any commercial entity in accordance with the procedure established by the Director General.

Members of Working Groups and ad hoc Groups shall respect the legitimate confidentiality of information with which they may be entrusted in the performance of their functions and shall submit such an undertaking to the Director General.

Article 7
Each Group shall meet according to a timetable and agenda drawn up with the approval of the Director General. Observers may be invited at the initiative of the President in consultation with the Director General.

Article 8
At the end of each meeting, the rapporteur of the Group shall provide the Director General with a report of the proceedings and any proposals drawn up by the Group.

The Group shall report to the Director General who will transmit the report, or relevant parts of it, to the appropriate Specialist Commissions, and may be asked to present their report before the Assembly.

Article  9
The Director General shall be responsible for issuing invitations to attend meetings, and for correspondence between the Group and persons or organisations which it wishes to consult.

Article  10
The Director General shall place at the disposal of the Group the necessary facilities, including translations and documentation, required for producing reports of its meetings.