G/SPS/GEN/1583  
 
25 October  2017 
(17-5795) Page: 1/6 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English/French/Spanish  
 
 
70TH MEETING OF THE SPS C OMMITTEE  
COMMUNICATION FROM T HE WORLD ORGANISATIO N FOR ANIMAL HEALTH (OIE)  
The following communication, received on 19 October  2017, is being circulated at the request of 
the OIE. 
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The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is pleased to provide this report for the 
information of WTO Members attending the 70th meeting of the SPS Committee.  
The report summarises k ey developments in the OIE's standard -setting work programme, along 
with updates on the OIE 's Capacity Building activities.  
1  DEVELOPMENTS IN THE OIE STANDARDS FOR TE RRESTRIAL AND AQUATI C ANIMALS  
1.1.  The Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases (Scientific Comm ission) met from 4 to 
8 September 2017. The Scientific Commission examined comments from member countries  on 
specific Terrestrial Animal Health Code  (Terrestrial Code ) chapters under discussion and provided 
advice to the Terrestrial Animal Health Standards  Commission (Code Commission) for their 
consideration. The Scientific Commission also considered a scientific and technical document 
assessing the current risk associated with BSE, the OIE Standards for BSE in the Terrestrial Code  
and the link with the OIE  official recognition of risk status for BSE, together with member country  
interventions at the last General Session in May 2017 and those submitted to the OIE after the 
General Session. Noting, that the majority of Members did not support a proposal to di scontinue 
the OIE official recognition of risk status for BSE at this time, but supported a detailed revision of 
the OIE standards on BSE as a priority, it requested that the Director General establish an ad hoc 
Group dedicated to the revision of the BSE C hapter. This first meeting of the ad hoc Group is 
planned for December 2017.  
1.2.  The Scientific Commission reiterated the need to provide Members with preventive tools that 
would allow emergency, preventive and temporary zoning in response to an increased dise ase 
threat, while avoiding unjustified barriers to trade. The Scientific Commission and the Code 
Commission has proposed to address this need by including the new provisions within the existing 
concepts in the Terrestrial Code . The revised Chapter 4.3. Zon ing and compartmentalisation will be 
circulated for OIE member countries ' comments with the report of the Code Commission's 
September 2017 meeting.  
1.3.  The Biological Standards Commission met from 12 to 15 September 2017 and reviewed 
comments from member count ries and experts on the Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for 
Terrestrial Animals . It revised twenty nine chapters as well as the Glossary. These will be 
circulated for member country  comments, these comments will be considered at its February 2018 
meeting. The Biological Commission also discussed procedures to strengthen the OIE network of 
Collaborating Centres in order to create greater opportunities for collaboration and networking and 
improving their support to the OIE and its member countries . 
1.4.  The Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission (Aquatic Animals Commission) met from 
13 to 20 September 2017 to review member country  comments and prepare new and revised 
texts for the Aquatic Animal Health Code  (Aquatic Code ) and the Manual of Diagnostic Te sts for G/SPS/GEN/1583  
 
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  Aquatic Animals  (Aquatic Manual ). The Commission revised seventeen chapters; the Glossary and 
User's guide in the Aquatic Code  and seven chapters in the Aquatic Manual  which were circulated 
for member country  comments and which will be considered at  its February 2018 meeting. 
The Aquatic Animals Commission reviewed the assessment of tilapia lake virus (TiLV) against the 
new criteria for listing aquatic animal diseases and agreed that TiLV still did not meet th e criteria 
for listing because of insufficient information, particularly concerning analytical and diagnostic 
specificit y and sensitivity of the assay.  
1.5.  Following the recent adoption of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans  for inclusion in 
Chapter  1.3. (Diseas es listed by the OIE), the Aquatic Animals Commission is in the process of 
developing a new draft Chapter 8.X. Infection with B. salamandrivorans  for inclusion in the Aquatic 
Code. The chapter will be circulated for member country  comments. In the interim the Aquatic 
Animals Commission has developed a Technical Disease Card for B. salamandrivorans  in order to 
provide guidance to member countries . The Technical Disease Card will be available on the OIE 
website in November 2017 , http://www.oie.int/en/international -standard -setting/specialists -
commissions -groups/aquatic -animal -commission -reports/disease -information -cards/ . 
1.6.  The Code Commission met from 18 to 29 September 2017 and reviewed comments from 
member countries  and experts and prepared new and revised texts for the Terrestrial Code . 
Twenty -three new or revised Chapters as well as the Glossary will  be circulated for member 
country  comments which will be considered at its February 2018 meeting. Of particular interest to 
member countries  will be the revisions to Chapter 4.3. Zonin g and compartmentalisation, 
the inclusion of proposed definitions for th erapeutic and preventive use and growth promotion in 
Chapter 6.8. as they relate to antimicrobial resistance which will be proposed for adoption in 
May 2018. The Code Commission also considered a discussion paper prepared by the OIE 
headquarters in regards  to the need to revise Chapter 10.4. Infection with avian influenza viruses 
and requested th e Director General establish an  ad hoc Group to discuss the problems associated 
with the current chapter (including those related to trade) and propose mechanisms f or resolving 
these problems including a broad review of the chapter. The ad hoc group will be convened in 
December 2017.  
1.7.  The full reports of the above four Commission meetings will be available on the OIE website  
by the end of November 2017.  
2  PROVISION OF SCIENTI FIC ADVICE TO THE OI E AND ITS MEMBER COUNTRIES  
2.1  Specialist Commissions  
2.1.  A major objective of the OIE 's Sixth Strategic Plan 2016 –2020 is Scientific Excellence. 
In particular, the Delegates asked the OIE to improve transparency of the election process and 
establish term limits for the elected members of the Specialist Commissions. In  order to fulfil this 
objective,  the OIE General Assemb ly (May 2017) adopted a new procedure that will guide the 
selection of experts for election to the four Specialist Commissions. In summary, the OIE (Council 
and OIE HQs) will manage the process for Selection of Experts through a call for nominations, 
asses sment of applications against a set of criteria (by an Evaluation Committee consisting of OIE 
headquarters staff, a representative of the Council and independent experts), in order to establish 
a list of suitable candidates to be proposed for election to t he Specialist Commissions. This process 
is in line with best practice approaches used by many other international and national bodies and 
provides for the involvement of the OIE Council, Regional Bureaus and OIE Delegates in ensuring 
that the best scientif ic advice is provided to support the development of OIE standards, guidelines 
and recommendations.  
2.2.  Objectiv es of the new procedure include : 
1. Engage veterinary and scientific experts that are reflective of the specific demographics of 
the respective professions while continuing to respect geographic and expertise 
parameters, whil st improving the gender balance;  
2. To ensure that the OIE decision -making processes reflect the global membership of the 
organisation, are based on the most up to date and infor med scientific opinion of 
specialists, including those familiar with cutting -edge scientific developments and 
technologies, as well as the opinions of specialist economic,  social and environmental 
areas;  G/SPS/GEN/1583  
 
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  3. To ensure the transparency of the process for the el ection of such experts and to maintain 
the independence of those experts in carrying out their roles and responsibilities.  
2.3.  The role of the OIE Specialist Commissions  is to develop and revise OIE international 
standards  and to address scientific and technical issues raised by member countries . Specialist  
Commission members are elected by the World Assembly of OIE Delegates in May every three 
years.  
2.4.  A call for nominations was published widely from June to September 2017. The purpose of 
the call for nominations was to establish a list of suitable experts fr om which the OIE Delegates to 
the World Assembly will elect members of the Specialist Commissions for a term of three years 
commencing in May 2018. The process for the selection of experts for nomination is to ensure that 
the candidates presented for elect ion represent a range of expertise and viewpoints and include 
scientific experts from all geographic regions of the world. Applications were submitted to the OIE 
Headquarters and will be evaluated between October and November 2017.  
2.2  OIE ad hoc Groups  
2.5.  The Di rector General establishes ad hoc Groups in order to respond to specific technical and 
scientific advice required to support the work of the OIE and the Specialist Commissions. In order 
to improve the transparency of these groups the OIE plans to upload in formation to its website 
providing the dates and terms of reference of proposed ad hoc groups.  
3  ANIMAL HEALTH INFORM ATION  
3.1  World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS) is becoming WAHIS+  
3.1.  In its leading role to improve animal health and welfare worldwide, one of the OIE 's key 
missions is to ensure transparency in the global animal disease situation. Access to high quality 
data is the cornerstone of the effective control of transboundary animal diseases, including 
zoonoses; this access ensures the early and appropriate response after detection of emerging 
diseases, contributes to protecting public health and global livelihoods, and plays a significant role 
in facilitating safe trade. The OIE 's World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS), developed 
and laun ched in 2005, is the global tool to achieve these objectives.  
3.2.  WAHIS enables the collection and the dissemination of data on animal diseases of 
epidemiological significance in both domestic species and wildlife and is vital for the global 
dissemination of i nformation on animal disease events, inc luding zoonotic pathogens. 
This reporting mechanism is based on the OIE 's international standards and is representative of 
the global consensus and shared vision to collectively tackle animal diseases and their negat ive 
impacts. WAHIS is an evolving tool which responds to global needs, changes to international 
standards and has increased pace for innovation and technological change (WAHIS+).  
3.3.  The OIE continues to look towards the future and is making large strides to m odernise 
WAHIS. Further to consolidated consultation with more 1 ,000 stakeholders including OIE Delegates 
and National Focal Points, the OIE is moving forward on the development of a quicker and more 
intuitive system with new features, including: extended data mining, customisable data queries 
and enhanced mapping features and displays, WAHIS+. Genomic data linked to epidemiological 
information will strengthen disease traceability and appropriate response. Integration with other 
databases and platforms for enriched risk assessment will make WAHIS+ a reliable source of 
knowledge and pave the way for future policy decision making. This is just the start. Innovative 
and strategic thinking will continue to inform the constant evolution of WAHIS+ to ensure its 
applicability and validity, not just for today and tomorrow but for generations to come.  
3.4.  The Sixth Strategic Plan (2016 -2020) adopted by OIE 's 181 Members has underscored the 
pressing need for WAHIS+ to incorporate a transdisciplinary and holistic approach t o data 
collection, analysis and dissemination – not only addressing animal diseases, but also public 
health, climate and the environment. This approach will be of high impact and could prevent 
imminent animal disease threats and public health emergencies o f international concern. Building 
bridges between WAHIS+ and national/regional databases will support this endeavour and regional 
initiatives are already underway.  G/SPS/GEN/1583  
 
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  3.5.  To enable free access to world animal health data, the OIE provides Internet users with 
several computer tools designed to answer specific user needs. This portal provides easy access to 
these tools, for more accurate results while searching for world animal health information . 
4  CAPACITY BUILDING AC TIVITIES  
4.1  Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Pathway  
4.1.  The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) 
Pathway "Think Tank " Forum was held at OIE Headquarters in Pa ris, in April 2017, to mark the 
ten-year milestone of the OIE flagship programme that supports the sustainable improvement of a 
country 's Veterinary Services. The Forum brought together a diverse group of 74 participants 
comprising OIE member country  repre sentatives, Donors/Partners, OIE Staff and PVS Pathway 
Experts to review the programme 's successes, build on lessons learned and collectively plan for 
the strategic evolution of the PVS Pathway.  
4.2  Key Directions Emerging from the Forum  
4.2.  The OIE will enhance t he profile, impact and resourcing of the PVS Pathway by elevating the 
programme beyond the veterinary and technical to the higher strategic and intersectoral level, 
particularly through engaging and linking with priority global agendas. In terms of country  
engagement, the OIE will adopt a more flexible, tailored approach to create a more targeted and 
responsive PVS Pathway with enhanced country ownership, whilst  maintaining its integrity. 
New options for OIE PVS engagement will include PVS training (to deep en understanding and 
engagement, and/or facilitate PVS self -evaluation), PVS Strategic Planning support (to assist 
integration of PVS outputs within established or new national strategic planning cycles), 
PVS Specific Content (to develop more defined and a ccessible content within PVS reports on major 
global priorities such as PPR eradication or AMR) and to further develop PVS/International Health 
Regulations ‘One Health ' systems linkages, including via IHR/PVS national bridging workshops. 
These new directions are appropriate given that the basic tools and methods of the PVS Pathway 
are long established and robust, with many countries already possessing a solid baseline of  PVS 
Pathway evaluation and planning from which to build. With all this, the whole -of-systems approach 
and philosophy of the PVS Pathway as an independent, voluntary and country -driven process 
based on the PVS Tool and internationally agreed standards were  identified as key strengths that 
should be maintained. The PVS Pathway Evolution Placemat, summ arizing the key outcomes of 
the Forum is included as Appendix A.  
4.3.  OIE's PVS Pathway evolution will be rolled out intensively ove r the next 12 to 18 months. 
The OIE has collated and arranged all the main action ideas arising from the Forum (and 
subsequent feedback) into a form conveying clear, phased implementation over time, and has also 
developed detailed action planning. The OIE will continue to engage and cons ult with all four key 
stakeholder groups throughout the PVS Pathway evolution planning and implementation process 
through an inclusive consultation framework.  
4.3  Implementation of Standards Workshops  
4.4.  A regional workshop ' OIE Standards: Facilitating safe international trade ' was conducted in 
Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 22 to 24 August 2016 with the assistance of funding provided by 
the European Union. The workshop was aimed at providing participants with : i) an understanding 
of the OIE standards and how they relate to the WTO framework; (ii) how to implement these 
standards to ensure safe trade, while avoiding unjustified sanitary barriers to trade; and (iii) an 
understanding of, and how to, effectively participate in the OIE standard setting process. 
Participants were OIE Delegates or representatives from veterinary services involved in the area of 
risk assessment or risk management related to import/export of animals and animal products. 
23 member countries  of the Americas  participated in this workshop.  
4.4  Regional Seminars for OIE National Focal Points  
4.5.  OIE capacity -building activities also include Information Seminars for Recently Appointed OIE 
Delegates and Regional Seminars for OIE National Focal Points appointed for eight different areas 
(Animal Disease Notification to the OIE, Veterinary Products, Communication, Animal Production G/SPS/GEN/1583  
 
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  Food Safety, Animal Welfare, Veterinary Laboratories, Wildlife and Aquatic Animals). The aim of 
this programme is to provide good governance concepts for improving animal health , animal 
welfare and food safety of animal -origin products at the national, regional and international levels, 
and to explain and clarify the role and responsibilities of newly -appointed OIE Delegates and of 
OIE National Focal Points with respect to OIE ac tivities.  
4.6.  The list of Regional Seminars scheduled for 2018 will be provided to the SPS and STDF 
Secretariats once it has been approved later in the year.  
 G/SPS/GEN/1583  
 
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  APPENDIX  A 
 
 
 
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