Veterinary Services activities including their public and private components are recognised as ‘global public goods’. Quality veterinary education is a cornerstone of good governance of national Veterinary Services. However, in many countries, mostly developing and in-transition countries, the quality of veterinary education fails to meet the requirements for the delivery of highly competent Veterinary Services.

As explained in the OIE Guide on Veterinary Education Twinning Programme, the OIE Veterinary Education Twinning Programme is expected to create opportunities for Member countries to develop modern educational facilities and methods, based on accepted international standards.

The two-year Chiang Mai-Minnesota Veterinary Education Twinning Project aims to ensure that graduates meet the OIE Recommendations on the Competencies of Graduating Veterinarians (‘Day 1 Graduates’), and their compliance with OIE international recommendations. The project will provide both establishments with the opportunity to enhance and facilitate the exchange of knowledge, ideas and experience.

“Thanks to this OIE Twinning Programme, we are looking forward to improve our capacity so as to be recognised as a high quality veterinary institution within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,” Associate Professor Lertrak Srikitjakarn, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University said.

“Partnering with Chiang Mai University on this OIE veterinary education twinning project will benefit us both as we strive to enhance the capacity of our veterinary graduates to support the control of transboundary diseases and zoonoses and strengthen the official Veterinary Services of our countries,” Professor Trevor Ames, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota said.

The OIE supports Member Countries to improve the capacity of both public and private components of their national Veterinary Services through the OIE PVS Pathway (Performance of Veterinary Services) and Laboratory Twinning Programme; the Veterinary Education Twinning Programme complements this global initiative.

“OIE Twinning Programmes are successful because they are strictly based on preliminary direct agreements between potential partners and because they effectively reduce the gap in scientific expertise between developed and developing countries. This Veterinary Education Twinning programme is of particular significance because education is an important foundation to any activities conducted by veterinarians; they must demonstrate a minimum level of qualification and education based on Day 1 competencies OIE guidelines in all our Member Countries,” explained Dr Bernard Vallat, Director General of the OIE.