   
  
G/SPS/GEN/1789  
 
16 June 2020  
(20-4262) Page: 1/5 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English/French/Spanish  
 
 
77TH MEETING OF THE SPS C OMMITTEE  
COMMUNICATION FROM T HE WORLD ORGANISATIO N FOR ANIMAL HEALTH (OIE)  
The following communication, received on 12 June 2020 , is being circulated at the request of the 
OIE. 
_______________  
 
 
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is pleased to provide this report for the information 
of WTO Members attending the 7 7th meeting of the SPS Committee.  
1  COVID ACTIVITIES – WHAT IS THE OIE DOING ? 
1.1.  The OIE is in contact  with its Regional  Representations  and Sub Regional  Representations,  OIE 
delegates  of member  countries,  the OIE Wildlife  Working  Group , as well as the FAO and WHO,  to 
gather  and share  the latest  available  information  on COVID -19 and SARS -CoV-2. The OIE is closely  
liaising  with its network  of experts  involved  in current  investigations  on the source  of the disease.  
Rumours  and unofficial  information  are also being  monitored  daily.  
1.2.  The OIE has mobilised  several  technical  working  groups  (ad hoc Groups)  to provide  scientific  
advice  on research  priorities,  on-going  research,  and other  implications  of COVID -19 for animal  
health  and veterinary  public  health,  including  risk assessment,  risk management,  and risk 
communication.  The OIE has also develope d high level guidance  for veterinary  laboratories  working  
with public  health  services  to support  testing  of human  samples  for SARS -CoV-2. 
1.3.  The OIE has put in place an Incident  Coordination  System  to coordinate  these  activities.  
1.4.  Given  the similarities  between  COVID -19 and the emergence  of other  zoonotic  diseases  at the 
human  animal  interface,  the OIE is working  with its Wildlife  Working  Group  and other  partners  to 
develop  a longer  term work programme  which  aims to better  understan d the dynamics  and risks 
around  wildlife  trade  and consumption,  with a view to developing  strategies  to reduce  the risk of 
future  disease  spillover  events.   
1.5.  Since February 2020 the OIE has been publishing the latest information on all of its activities 
including notifications from countries on the OIE website at:  
https://www.oie.int/en/scientific -expertise/spe cific-information -and-recommendations/questions -
and-answers -on-2019novel -coronavirus/  
 
1.6.  A special edition of the OIE Bulletin  on COVID -19 was also published in May 2020 and is 
available at:  https://mailchi.mp/oie.int/the -oies-role-in-global -efforts -to-combat -covid-19  
1.7.  A summary  of OIE activities  in response  to the COVID  pandemic  is provided  in Annex  1. G/SPS/GEN/1789  
 
- 2 - 
 
  2  88TH OIE GENERAL SES SION  
2.1.  The current COVID -19 pandemic forced the OIE Council, in coordination with the 
Director  General, to cancel the 88th General Session of the World Assembly of OIE Delegates initially 
scheduled from 24 to 29 May 2020 until May 2021.  
2.2.  However, considering that some decisions could not be postponed until 2021, the Council 
decided to submit to the consideration of the 182 OIE delegates an adapted procedure allowing the 
approbation of some key resolutions through electronic means.  
2.3.  All rel evant information, including resolutions adopted by the OIE World Assembly of Delegates, 
summary reports and video presentations are available on the OIE website at 
https://www.oie.int/en/for -the-media/oie -activities -2020/  
2.1  OIE Standard setting activities   
2.4.  As a consequence of the postponement of the 88th General Session, no new or amended 
chapters in the Aquatic Animal Health Code, the Terrestrial Animal Health Code, the Manual of 
Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals or the Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial 
Animals were proposed for adoption in 2020.  
2.5.  In lieu of the 2020 Genera l Session reports delivered by the Presidents of each Specialist 
Commission, each President recorded a video presentation to advise members of progress made by 
its respective Commission since the 87th General Session in 2019, and to highlight some signific ant 
items in its work program over the coming year. These videos as well as a summary of the 
presentation are available on the OIE website at: https://www.oie.int/en/for -the-media/oi e-
activities -2020/ . 
2.2  Official OIE recognition of disease status and control programmes of Members  
2.6.  OIE members can apply to be included in the list of members having a zone with an officially 
recognised status for the following six priority diseases: African  horse sickness (AHS), bovine 
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), classical swine fever 
(CSF), foot and mouth disease (FMD) and peste des petits ruminants (PPR). In addition, members 
can apply for the endorsement of t heir official control programmes for CBPP, FMD and PPR.  
2.7.  In accordance with the 2020 Adapted Procedure, several new members or zones of members 
obtained official recognition of their status, and one member obtained an endorsement for an official 
control pro gramme:  
• Croatia, Kazakhstan and Malta were officially recognised as being 'free from CSF '. 
• Bolivia and Russia were officially recognised as being 'free from CBPP '. 
• Lesotho and Russia were officially recognised as being 'free from PPR '. 
• Bolivia, as well as  a zone in the United Kingdom consisting of Jersey, were officially 
recognised as having a 'negligible BSE risk '. 
• A zone in Chinese Taipei was officially recognised as 'free from FMD without vaccination ', 
a zone in Brazil consisting of two merged zones, as well as four separated zones in 
Colombia were officially recognised as 'free from FMD with vaccination '. Kyrgyzstan was 
officially recognised as having an official control programme for FMD endorsed by the 
OIE.  
2.8.  In addition, the procedure for the official recognition by the OIE was expanded to include the 
endorsement of official control programmes for dog -mediated rabies. A questionnaire is available on 
the OIE website for OIE members to use as a model f or their dossier when applying for the 
endorsement of their official control programmes for dog -mediated rabies.  
2.9.  The full list of countries and their recognised disease status for AHS, BSE, CBPP, CSF, FMD, 
and PPR can be accessed online  the OIE web site.  G/SPS/GEN/1789  
 
- 3 - 
 
  2.3  Global animal health situatio n 
2.10.   In lieu of the 2020 General Session an analysis of events and trends that occurred in 201 9 
through to the beginning of 2020 was presented as a video recording by the OIE World Animal Health 
Information and Analysis Department based on reports submitted b y member countries and 
territories. Particular attention was paid to the global situation analysis regarding four diseases and 
infections of major interest, for which epizootic situations were observed in 2019 and early 2020, 
namely infection with African swine fever virus, infection with koi herpesvirus, infection with 
infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus and infection with highly pathogenic avian 
influenza virus. The report also described the global situation regarding two diseases and infections 
with global control or eradication strategies, namely infection with foot and mouth disease virus and 
infection with peste des petits ruminants virus. In addition, an evaluation of global compliance of 
members reporting obligations and quality o f reports was also presented.  
2.11.   The video and a summary of the presentation is available on the OIE website at: 
https://www.oie.int/en/for -the-media/oie -activities -2020/ .  
2.4  Technical It em on required competencies of Veterinary Services in the context of 
international trade  
2.12.   Despite  the postponement  of the 88th General  Session  until 2021,  it was decided  to publish  
the report  of the Technical  Item on "Required  competencies  of Veterinary  Services  in the context  of 
international  trade:  opportunities  and challenges " in 2020 in the OIE News  without  a dedicated  
resolu tion. Dr Thanawat  Tiensin,  Chairperson  of the Committee  on World  Food Security  at the FAO, 
the rapporteur,  will record  a video  that will be uploaded  on the OIE website  to highlight  the strategic  
importance  of trade  in sanitary  and economic  terms  and how it links to the achievements  of the UN 
Strategic  Development  Goals.  
2.13.   The published  report  will address:  the International  Regulatory  Framework;  the role of 
Veterinary  Services  in trade  negotiations  and in maintaining  trade;  challenges  faced  by the 
Veterinary  Services  in a trade  context;  and the required  competences  of Veterinary  Services  for 
trade  and how to build them to facilitate  and secure  international  trade.   
2.14.   In the absence  of a resolution  that usually  provides  direction  for OIE work to support  the topic 
in the coming  years,  OIE members  and stakeholders  will be given  the opportunity  to share  their 
views  on the report  via an online  forum  associated  to the OIE News.  
2.5  OIE scientific network  
2.15.   The OIE has access  to leading  knowledge  and skills thanks  to its global network  of Reference  
Centres  composed  of Reference  Laboratories  and Collaborating  Centres.  Sharing  of information  
among  these  various  institutes  has proved  vital to our achievements  in animal  health  and disease  
control  throughout  the world.  In 2020,  the number  of official  OIE Centres  of scientific  excellence  is 
326, located  in 46 countries  across  the five OIE regions.  
2.16.   The updated  lists of Reference  Laboratories  and Collaborating  Centres  are 
at: http://www.oie.int/en/scientific -expertise/reference -laboratories/list -of-laboratories/  
and http://www.oie.int/en/scientific -expertise/collaborating -centres/list -of-centres/  respectively.  
3  MONITORING IMPLEMENT ATION OF OIE INTERNA TIONAL STANDARDS – THE 
OBSERVATORY P ROJECT  
3.1.  While  the development  of sanitary  standards  is a central  mission  of the OIE, the OIE has 
determined  that it must also look at how they are implemented.  
3.2.  In May 2018,  the World  Assembly  of OIE Delegates  adopted  Resolution  No. 36 recommending  
the establishment  of an Observatory  on the implementation  of OIE standards  by member  countries.  
Through  the Observatory,  the OIE will be better  able to determine  the effectiveness  and practicability  
of its standards  in order  to propose  solutions  to member  countries.  The expected  outcomes  would  
be more effective  implementation  of OIE standards  and to assist  the OIE to develop  a more strategic  
focus  to its capacity  building  activities . G/SPS/GEN/1789  
 
- 4 - 
 
  3.3.  To explore  the potential  solutions  for the design  of the Observatory,  in July 2018,  the OIE 
entered  into a specific  collaboration  with the Organisation  for Economic  Co-operation  and 
Development  (OECD),  that provided  an analysis  of key features  of implementation  of OIE standards  
and, as well as a review  of the existing  mechanisms  supporting  the implementation,  monitoring  and 
evaluation  of OIE standards.  The final report  of the OECD  study was published  in February  2020 and 
is available  at: http://www.oecd.org/gov/oecd -study -on-the-world -organisation -for-animal -health-
oie-observatory -c88edbcd -en.htm . 
3.4.  The OIE has considered  the OECD  recommendations  for the development  of the next phase  of 
the project,  which  is the preparation  of a roadmap  to make  the OIE Observatory  operational.  
The deployment  of the roadmap  was started  in 2020 with the launch  of a pilot phase,  including  the 
preparation  of the Technical  item presented  above.  
3.5.  For more information,  refer to the OIE website  at: https://www.oie.int/en/standard -
setting/overview/oie -observatory/ . 
  G/SPS/GEN/1789  
 
- 5 - 
 
  Annex  1 
OIE ACTIVITIES  SINCE  JANUARY  2020  IN RESPONSE  TO THE COVID  PANDEMIC  
1. January 2020 – mobilised OIE 's informal expert Group to advise on novel Coronavirus 
priorities for R&D to inves tigate animal source and to develop longer term risk mitigation 
strategies around emergence of pandemic viruses.  
2. February 2020 – OIE's informal expert group contributed to the WHO 's Novel Coronavirus 
R&D roadmap workstream on animal and environmental research on the virus origin, and 
management measures at the human -animal interface.  
3. February 2020 – OIE started to publish results of members surveillance and investigations 
around SARS -CoV-2 and animals.  
4. February 2020 – OIE commended publis hing its Q&A including up -to-date information on 
notifications from countries.  
5. March 2020 – OIE initiated development of a project concept note 'Biodiversity and wildlife 
health management framework ' with the objective of mitigating and reducing risk of 
spillover events between wildlife, animals, and humans.  
6. March 2020 – OIE developed its "Guidance on Veter inary Laboratory Support to the Public 
Health Response for COVID -19" in English,  French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian.  
7. April 2020 – the OIE Wildlife Working Group issued a statement on wildlife trade and 
emerging zoonotic diseases.  
8. May 2020 – OIE published "Considerations for sampling, testing, and reporting of SARS -
CoV-2 in animals ".  
9. May 2020 – OIE worked with WHO on the development of the guidance document 'Food 
safety and COVID -19 – A One Health Issue: Reducing public health risks associated with 
the sale of live wild animals for food in traditional food markets '. 
10. May 2020 – OIE publ ished  "Considerations on the application of sanitary measures for 
international trade related to COVID -19".  
11. May 2020 – OIE published the OIE Technical Factsheet on Infection with SARS -CoV-2 in 
Animals.  . 
All of these documents are available  on the OIE website at: 
https://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Our_scientific_expertise/docs/pdf/COV -
19/A_Q%26A_COVID -19.pdf . 
 
__________  