On 28 and 29 February, at Palacio San Martín, Luis Barcos was presented to the foreign Embassies accredited to our country as Argentina’s candidate for the position of Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The elections will be held on 28 May in Paris, France, during the 91st Annual General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates.
The meetings were chaired by Foreign Minister Mondino and the Undersecretary for Foreign Policy, Ambassador Marcia Levaggi, who were accompanied by the Undersecretary for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Agustín Tejeda, and the National Director for Animal Health of the Argentine Animal Health and Agri-food Quality Service (SENASA) and Argentine Delegate to the WOAH, veterinarian Ximena Melon.
Luis Barcos is a renowned veterinarian born in the city of Colón, Province of Buenos Aires, with extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. For the past 20 years, Barcos has served as WOAH Regional Representative and his track record includes his tenure as President of SENASA from 1996 to 1999, among other positions.
The WOAH is the international authority on animal health. It was founded in 1924 as the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) and Argentina, along with other 24 countries, is one of its founders. Currently, the Organisation has 183 Members and its mission consists in disseminating information on animal diseases and improving animal health through the coordination of the global response to animal health emergencies and the prevention and control of animal diseases.
During the meetings, the Foreign Ministry officials highlighted the candidate’s merits and vast experience as well as Argentina’s historical commitment to the Organisation. For his part, Barcos expressed his gratitude to the Argentine Government for nominating him as candidate and listed the main objectives and priorities for his potential tenure as Director General of the WOAH.
The presentation was welcomed by the foreign representatives present and many of them expressed their support for Barcos’ candidacy, while praising Argentina’s initiative to move towards a more representative and transparent WOAH, focused on improving the establishment of international animal health standards, based on the best available scientific developments.
