South Asian Chief Veterinary Officers met in Colombo for the ninth SAARC CVOs Forum, calling for stronger regional cooperation on animal health, biosecurity and disease control. International partners urged coordinated action as Member States outlined priority plans and future joint initiatives.
The Ninth Meeting of the SAARC Chief Veterinary Officers’ (CVOs) Forum was held on Thursday (11 December 2025) in Colombo, bringing together senior veterinary officials from all eight South Asian countries to strengthen coordination on animal health and transboundary disease control.
The event was organised by the SAARC Secretariat’s Agriculture and Rural Development Division in partnership with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, and the SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC) in Dhaka.
CVOs participating included Dr Md Abu Sufiun (Bangladesh), Dr Rinzin Pem (Bhutan), Dr Praveen Malik (India), Indunil Amaranath Jayawickrama (Maldives), Dr Ram Nandan Tiwari (Nepal), Dr S. Murtaza Hassan Andrabi (Pakistan) and Dr K.K. Sarath (Sri Lanka).
Speaking at the opening, Tanvir Ahmad Torophder, Director (ARD & SDF), highlighted growing collaboration among Member States and formally inaugurated the meeting on behalf of the SAARC Secretary General.
SAC Director Dr Harunur Rashid said the region had “tremendous scope for collaboration” in strengthening veterinary services and reaffirmed SAC’s support for upcoming SAARC-led initiatives.
Dr Hirofumi Kugita, Regional Representative of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), praised the organisation of the meeting and reiterated WOAH’s commitment to supporting work on priority diseases such as PPR, LSD and regional epidemiology networks.
FAO representative Scott Newman stressed the need for coordinated approaches to sustainable food production, biosecurity and animal-disease control, noting FAO’s upcoming programmes that could be aligned with SAARC activities.
The CVOs held detailed discussions on regional priorities, reviewed progress and adopted decisions to guide veterinary cooperation in the coming years. The meeting concluded with a renewed call for stronger collective action for the welfare and resilience of the SAARC region.
