From 18 to 22 May 2026, the 93rd General Assembly of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) takes place in Paris. The event brings together the 183 member states of WOAH as well as representatives of international organisations that have entered into relevant agreements with WOAH. The General Assembly is WOAH’s most important annual forum for decision-making in the field of animal health. Among other things, international WOAH standards are voted on there, which also play an important role worldwide for animal welfare, as they set minimum standards that all member states are expected to comply with.
For Animals’ Angels, the General Assembly is therefore an important event every year. As a member and chair of the International Coalition for Animal Welfare (ICFAW), we are present on site with the aim of giving greater international weight to animal welfare.
This year, ICFAW is hosting an information stand where a wide range of materials from ICFAW member organisations are displayed. In addition, we are conducting a survey among veterinary authorities worldwide in order to improve and strengthen cooperation between authorities and NGOs. We are also running a quiz on animal welfare during transport to engage participants in conversation and raise awareness of the issue.
The WOAH animal transport standards are currently under revision. On this occasion, ICFAW organised a side event on 20 May 2026 as part of the WOAH General Assembly on the topic of animal welfare during transport, aimed at fostering dialogue and presenting practical examples of good practice that can improve animal welfare during transport. We were honoured to welcome high-level panellists, including Andrea Gavinelli from the European Commission and Nancy De Briyne from the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe. In her speech, Ms De Briyne emphasised:
“Every animal transport represents an animal welfare risk and also carries the risk of spreading diseases and epizootics. Animal transport should therefore be reduced as far as possible.”
We fully agree with this.
Silvia Meriggi, a staff member of Animals’ Angels, also presented practical approaches to improving animal welfare. Among other things, she suggested creating an international mapping of good practices for better animal welfare during transport. Even today—while we continue to work towards legislative improvements—concrete improvements for animals can already be achieved through practical measures.
The General Assembly of the World Organisation for Animal Health offers us a valuable opportunity to engage with veterinarians and representatives from around the world, exchange experiences, and advance our concerns for animals at an international level.
We thank WOAH for this opportunity and all colleagues at ICFAW worldwide for their committed work in animal welfare.
