CONTENTS
• About the World Veterinary Association (WVA)
• Benefits of WVA Membership
• WVA Membership Categories, including links to:
- Application Form for Institutional Membership and Observer Membership in WVA.
- WVA Constitution, Bylaws, and Administrative Procedures Manual.
- WVA Fee Calculation Model.
About the World Veterinary Association
The Association represents approximately 500,000 veterinarians worldwide through its member associations and serves as a broad global veterinary community that advocates for the protection, support, and education concerning various global veterinary issues. This is accomplished through its international, regional, and local member veterinary associations working in different areas of veterinary medicine. The World Veterinary Association brings together veterinarians to share experiences, exchange ideas, and collaborate to advance and promote the field of veterinary medicine.
WVA safeguards the interests of animal and human health and welfare, as well as the interests of its member organizations and their members.
History of the World Veterinary Association
In April 1863, Professor John Gamgee (1831-1894) from the Edinburgh College in the United Kingdom took the initiative to invite professors of veterinary medicine and veterinarians from all over Europe to a general meeting in Hamburg, Germany, from July 14th to 18th, 1863. This meeting became the first International Veterinary Congress, later known as the World Veterinary Congress (WVC). The purpose of the meeting was primarily to discuss the system of combating epizootic diseases, develop common rules for livestock trade, and recommend their adoption by all European countries. The main topic discussed was rinderpest, a devastating disease that was completely eradicated through targeted veterinary measures.
At the 16th congress in Madrid, Spain, in 1959, the World Veterinary Association was founded as the continuation of the Permanent Committee for International Veterinary Congresses. Today, 152 years after the first International Veterinary Congress, WVA continues to fulfill the goal set by Dr. Gamgee of uniting veterinarians from around the world, sharing experiences, exchanging ideas, and collaborating to advance and promote veterinary medicine.
Partnership
The World Veterinary Association believes in collaboration with partners. WVA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding and effectively collaborates with relevant global partners such as the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Medical Association (WMA), World Animal Protection, International Veterinary Students' Association (IVSA), World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC), and many others.
In its strategy for 2015-2017, the World Veterinary Association focuses on five priority areas:
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Animal welfare
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Responsible use of pharmaceuticals
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Veterinary education
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Zoonotic diseases
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Organizational development and partnerships
Policy and Position of the World Veterinary Association
The World Veterinary Association develops and continues to create policies and positions that focus on crucial global veterinary issues. These policies and positions are conveyed to the veterinary profession and important decision-making bodies and authorities. They include political statements on the Role of the Veterinarian in Animal Welfare, the One Health concept, identification of the Veterinary Profession, rabies control, responsible use of antimicrobials, and many others.
Mission of the World Veterinary Association
The mission of WVA is to ensure and support animal welfare and global public health through the development and advancement of veterinary medicine, the veterinary profession, and public and private veterinary services.
Benefits of WVA Membership
As members of the World Veterinary Association, the Public Organization "Veterinary Practice Association" has the opportunity to:
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Have a direct voice in the World Veterinary Association and communicate with WVA leadership through regional advisors and officers.
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Have a seat in the General Assembly with voting rights on major global veterinary issues and WVA governance.
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Receive assistance with an extensive network of impressive speakers for your educational conference.
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Receive WVA newsletters twice a month with news from WVA and other useful links to important veterinary events and activities.
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Submit information for posting on the website and WVA's Facebook page.
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Enjoy advantages in purchasing branded learning and content management systems, as well as access to the central resource portal for continuous veterinary education provided by WVA.
As members of associations that are members of WVA, individual persons have the right to:
- Appointment to WVA committees and working groups for direct influence on the formulation of WVA policies and activities.
- Official positions, such as nominations for officer positions and advisors.
- Special opportunities to participate in World Veterinary Congresses and WVA events.
Categories of World Veterinary Association Membership
**WVA membership consists of Full Members and Observers:
I. Full Members
Veterinary professional organizations representing the profession in a country or customs territory, or representing an international regional or international disciplinary organization in the field of veterinary medicine. ! Full members have voting rights and the right to nominate.
II. Observers
To become a WVA Observer, organizations or individual veterinarians may not have a veterinary profession as their members, but their goals and tasks must be compatible with the purposes and tasks of WVA. ! However, Observers do not have voting rights or the right to nominate, but they can provide comments on the activities and issues of WVA.
Membership Application Process
A complete membership application must be submitted to the WVA Council (through the WVA Secretariat) for consideration. After a positive decision by the Council, membership is considered valid from the date of payment of the Association's dues.
Methodology for Calculating WVA Membership Dues
To determine the fair, stable, and transparent amount of dues for each member organization, WVA uses a membership dues calculation model based on:
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The number of veterinarians who are members of the WVA member organization;
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Discounts on dues for organizations with a large number of members;
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Additional discounts on dues for countries with less developed economies based on the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI).
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Rules of Governance for WVA
To learn more about the Rules of Governance for WVA, click HERE
https://worldvet.org/uploads/docs/wva_constitution_and_bylaws_september_2015.pdf for the WVA Constitution and Bylaws, and HERE https://worldvet.org/uploads/docs/apm_2016.pdf for the WVA Administrative Procedures Manual.
WVA looks forward to welcoming you to the WVA family.
Feel free to contact the WVA Secretariat at secretariat@worldvet.org if you need additional information.
World Veterinary Association (WVA) Rue Victor Oudart 7, Letter Box 4, 1030 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 2 533 70 20
secretariat@worldvet.org
