The Brooke/FAO call for experts 

The Brooke and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have announced a call for experts to attend a critical conference on working animal welfare.

The Role, Impact and Welfare of Working Animals expert meeting takes place in Rome at the FAO headquarters on the 17-21 June.

Call for experts

Suitable qualified experts with professional or practical experience in the following areas are invited to submit their curriculum vitae including a description of their work experience, and if applicable, a list of peer-reviewed publications, particularly those related to the subject of the meeting by no later than 15 April 2011, by email to: Working-Animals@fao.org.

• Use of working animals to support income generation, reduce drudgery and reduce women’s and children’s labour
• Socio-economic evaluations of the role of working animals
• Human and working animals’ relationships
• Design and use of harness and implements
• Welfare of working animals
• Health and nutrition of working animals
• Human behaviour change, capacity building methodologies and tools, training and education, communication, awareness building

Objectives of the Expert Meeting

• To analyze the role and impact of working animals in livelihoods (food security, poverty alleviation, income generation, access to services and gender equity.).
• To identify necessary actions to raise their profile in agricultural and rural development programmes.
• To identify necessary actions to improve their welfare.

Output of the Expert Meeting

The meeting will provide scientists, development workers, governmental institutions and non-governmental organizations, and the international community at large with an interest in working animals and their welfare with a report which will act to inform development agencies and government and academic institutions as to why and how the profile of working animals and their welfare should be raised.

This will be based on current scientific knowledge and consolidated experience recommending policies, programme, projects and activities linked to a more effective and welfare-friendly use of working animals.

In February, in preparation for the Expert Meeting, FAO and the Brooke conducted an electronic consultation  with 156 subscribers from 52 countries, to gather up-to-date relevant information and expertise.