SIXTY-THIRD WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY Provisional agenda item 18.3
A63/46 22 April 2010
Agreements with intergovernmental organizations Collaboration between WHO and the Office International des Épizooties Report by the Secretariat 1. WHO and the Office International des Épizooties (OIE) collaborate on the basis of the exchange of letters establishing relations between the two organizations approved by the Fourteenth World Health Assembly in resolution WHA14.50, as amended by the Agreement between the Office International des Épizooties and the World Health Organization approved by the Fifty-seventh World Health Assembly in resolution WHA57.7. 2. In the course of a Tripartite Coordination meeting of WHO, OIE and FAO (Athens, 5 February 2008), the benefits of closer collaboration were identified, including, in particular, those resulting from the joint development of international standards relating to those aspects of animal production that impact on food safety. Accordingly, OIE proposed to modify the text of the current Agreement between the two organizations1 by adding the following text as a new paragraph 4.7 at the end of Article 4: “4.7. Joint development of international standards relating to relevant aspects in animal production which impact on food safety, in collaboration with other appropriate international agencies.” 3. The Secretariat considers that this proposal will enhance the two organizations’ collaboration in promoting and improving veterinary public health and food security and safety, in line with the objectives of the Agreement. The text of the proposed paragraph 4.7 conforms with the nearly identical language of Article 2.3(b) of the Agreement between FAO and OIE adopted in 2004. Furthermore, it is understood from consultations with OIE that the proposed amendment will not change the status of OIE in relation to the Codex Alimentarius Commission which remains the joint WHO/FAO Food Standards Programme, and in which OIE participates in the capacity of observer. 4. This amendment is submitted to the Health Assembly for approval because the Agreement between OIE and WHO itself was approved by the Health Assembly and this amendment adds an item of common interest to those identified in the original Agreement, thereby constituting a material development in the “particular” means of collaboration between the organizations.
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Basic documents, 47th edition. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2009.
A63/46
ACTION BY THE HEALTH ASSEMBLY 5. The Health Assembly is invited to consider the following draft resolution: The Sixty-third World Health Assembly, Having considered the report on agreements with intergovernmental organizations: collaboration between WHO and the Office International des Épizooties1 with its proposed amendment to the Agreement between the Office International des Épizooties and the World Health Organization;2 Considering Article 70 of the Constitution of WHO, APPROVES the following amendment to the Agreement between the Office International des Épizooties and the World Health Organization: Article 4 is amended by the addition of the following text to be inserted as subparagraph 4.7: “Joint development of international standards relating to relevant aspects in animal production which impact on food safety, in collaboration with other appropriate international agencies.”
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Document A63/46. Basic documents, 47th edition. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2009.
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