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On June 12 at WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Dr Bernard Vallat, Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and Mr Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), signed the revised Cooperation Agreement between OIE and WCO, overriding the previous one dated 2008.
The revised Agreement ambitions to strengthen cooperation between the two Organisations and boost collaboration between national Customs Administrations and Veterinary Services on the ground around the world, in particular for improved Coordinated Border Management in the context of newly adopted Trade Facilitation Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The revised Agreement also spotlights other topics of critical importance, such as the fight against smuggling and fraud in trade in live animals, products of animal origin and counterfeits veterinary medicinal products, biological threat reduction, animal welfare aspects during transport (by land, sea and air) and quarantine, facilitation of international competition horse movements (in particular for a specific high health, high performance horse sub-population defined by the OIE, the Fédération Equestre Internationale and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities) and the facilitation of cross-border movements in natural disaster situations.
How to prevent the emergence and spread of animal and human health risks associated with the five “T” - Trade, Travel, Transport, Tourism and Terrorism – is at the heart of this revised Agreement with as ultimate objective, a reassurance and facilitation of international trade of animals and related products, for a safer world. A joint OIE-WCO Task-Force will be set up to implement the revised Agreement rapidly.
Wednesday June 17, 2015/ OIE.
http.//www.oie.int
