Dr Hugo Idoyaga chaired his first Council meeting as President from 28 to 30 September 2021. The meeting was held virtually. During this meeting, the Council endorsed the OIE Director General’s proposal to hold the 89th General Session (2022) in a hybrid format, which will allow for some delegations to attend this event face to face while others will be able to take part virtually. During its September meeting, the Council also addressed various administrative and institutional matters, such as the implementation and financing of the Seventh Strategic Plan. A summary of the minutes of this meeting will be made available on the OIE Delegates’ website.

To ensure that the new Council members would gain a good understanding of their role within this governance body of the Organisation, the Director General’s Office organised an Onboarding Training Workshop on 21 September 2021, attended by the three new members as well as two current members, including the President.

As a follow-up to the September 2021 meeting, there will be an extraordinary meeting of the Council during the week of 6 December 2021, to discuss options to secure income for the Organisation’s regular budget. The next ordinary meeting of the Council is scheduled to take place in early March 2022, in preparation for the 89th General Session.