Kathmandu: The ninth meeting of the SAARC Chief Veterinary Officers’ (CVOs) Forum was held on December 11 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The event was organized by the Agriculture and Rural Development Division of the SAARC Secretariat in coordination with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land & Irrigation and the SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC), Dhaka.
Chief Veterinary Officers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka participated in the forum. Dr. Ram Nandan Tiwari represented Nepal.
At the opening, Tanvir Ahmad Torophder of the SAARC Secretariat highlighted regional collaboration efforts to strengthen veterinary capacity. Dr. Harunur Rashid of SAC spoke on the potential for further cooperation among member states, while Dr. Hirofumi Kugita of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) and Scott Newman of FAO expressed support for collective initiatives on animal health, disease control, and sustainable food production.
The forum discussed key agenda items, made decisions on veterinary services, and planned initiatives for the coming years. The meeting concluded with a strong call for enhanced regional cooperation to promote the welfare of the SAARC region.
