The role and mandate of the World Organisation for Animal Health in veterinary education

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), which was created in 1924 under the name Office International des Epizooties, is in charge of setting international standards and guidelines for animal health and welfare. The original aim of the Organisation was to control the international spread of infectious animal diseases, but this aim has expanded over the years and now the OIE has a global mandate to 'improve animal health worldwide' for both terrestrial and aquatic animals. A vital factor in successfully fulfilling this mandate is the quality and performance of both the public and private components of national Veterinary Services, which are increasingly working at the interface between human, animal and environmental health. The OIE considers global veterinary education to be key in maintaining and improving the quality of these Veterinary Services. Consequently, the competencies and continuing education of veterinarians are a priority in the assessment tool that the Organisation has developed to evaluate the performance of Veterinary Services (PVS). Evaluating the abilities and training of veterinarians is an important part of a PVS evaluation, as well-educated veterinarians with appropriate training are essential in improving Veterinary Services worldwide and in helping the OIE to fulfil its mandate.