The OIE contracted an independent consulting firm to undertake the assessment of the programme following a first review of the programme’s successes and gaps during the PVS think tank forum of 2017. The evaluation will support the OIE in maximising the many potentials of the PVS Pathway, addressing the deficiencies identified and meeting the evolving needs of Members. Robust and resilient Veterinary Services are key to improving animal and public health worldwide, and the evaluation will help ensure that the PVS Pathway continues to meet the needs of Veterinary Services and enables them to improve their performance.

The evaluation started in June 2020, with the aim of addressing the following key questions:

• How relevant is the PVS Pathway to the needs of Members and how effective is its design and implementation?
• What are the short, medium and long-term impacts of the PVS Pathway?
• How appropriate were the recent ‘PVS Evolution’ missions for improving the programme and are there alternatives for improvement?

Following a review of background documentation, 40 key stakeholders of the programme – Members across all OIE regions and wealth levels, staff of OIE headquarters and the regions, technical and resource partners and PVS experts – were offered the opportunity to provide their vision through semi-structured interviews.

The assessment process will capture the full spectrum of stakeholder perspectives regarding the PVS Pathway and its successes and shortcomings, and will include recommendations to ensure that the programme remains relevant and is leveraged to its full potential.

Last, but not least, the results of the evaluation will support the development of a monitoring & evaluation framework for the PVS Pathway – a way to systematically track progress, address weaknesses and achieve greater impact.