FAO's capacity-building activities to strengthen national veterinary legislation

摘要

The governance of the veterinary sector does not depend solely on having well-drafted laws. A full understanding of what comprises legislation and the relation between international standards and national legislation is essential in order that Veterinary Services can adequately implement legislation. For World Trade Organization (WTO) Members, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) standards for animal health and zoonotic diseases are international reference standards for the implementation of the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO's) capacity-building activities to strengthen the veterinary sector not only include training on key points of implementation of the law but also the development of in-country skills to formulateappropriate legislation by working together with national counterpart lawyers. The participatory approach for drafting veterinary legislation, based on the establishment of multi-stakeholder working groups, facilitates the understanding and the implementation of the legislation at a later stage. As well as on-the-ground assistance, the Development Law Service is engaged in normative work through research and publications which serve as tools for law and policy makers. This Service is also responsible for FAOLEX, the largest online legal database for agriculture legislation that is user-friendly and freely accessible (http:// faolex.fao.org).Numerous examples of capacity-building activities at the national and regional levels are included in this presentation, from which countries and their Veterinary Services and legal experts can draw lessons.