PARVAIZ AHMED RESHI & SYED M. AAFTAB
To highlight the role of veterinary professionals in promotion of animal health and welfare, prosperity and lifesaving work towards animals and mankind, World veterinary day is being annually celebrated around the globe on the last Saturday of April. World Veterinary Day was established by the World Veterinary Association in 2000. This Day unites the global veterinary community and spreads awareness about the profession and its challenges.
World Veterinary Day, 2023 Theme and its importance
To ensure similar programmes are planned across the world, every year, World Veterinary Association sets a unique theme for the celebration. All the events are accordingly planned and this year the theme announced by the World Veterinary Association is, “Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness in the Veterinary Profession” with the message to remove barriers and improve inclusiveness through diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and practices, in a diverse world, needs a special focus. The well-being of all veterinarians is enhanced when diversity, equity and inclusion is promoted and applied as it is being realised that the efforts of veterinarians and the work that they do usually go unnoticed. The global veterinarian community also lacks resilience. So, the World Veterinary Day 2022 theme was accordingly set “to celebrate the efforts of veterinary professionals and to strengthen veterinary resilience.”
Why Veterinary Day
Veterinary Day was started to uphold animals welfare, wellbeing and their rights given the fact that they contribute greatly to nutritional and livelihood security besides recreation etc. The dayalso aims to promote the veterinary profession and its contribution towards not only animal health but also medical science in general and the concept of one health programme. The World Veterinary Association believes in the interdependence of human beings and animals for co-existing in this world, and this special day is a celebration of that. The World Veterinary Day is therefore celebrated to:
- Raise awareness about the role and importance of veterinarians.
- Make the veterinary fraternity to assembleand celebrate the day together.
- Spread the message and motivate the veterinary professionals of working for animal welfare.
- Help veterinary professionals to make their importance realised and get their work recognised.
- Build resilience, diversity, equity and inclusivenesswithin the veterinarian community.
- Get attention of the policy planners for making a conducive working environment for the veterinarians.
How SKUAST-Kashmir celebrate the day
The mega function of the day is annually being celebrated by SKUAST-Kashmir at its Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Shuhama. To make it unique and wonderful, the faculty makes a series of programme including the exposure visit of students from various schools of the valley, debates, seminars, animal clinical camps, release of publications (Vets Vision), art and culture competitive programmes involving students and the faculty members. To recognise and acknowledge the contribution of veterinary professionals the retired and veteran veterinary professionals and professors are specially invited and honoured on the day. Press and media is invited to cover the mega event and the contribution of the veterinary professionals and the importance of the profession in one health programme in accordance of the theme of the year is highlighted. On this special day, the faculty wears a festive look and the university officers and some special guests are also invited to get the attention towards the immense work performed by the veterinary scientists through different societal programmes.
(Authors are Assistant Professors (Animal Nutrition), Division of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences & Animal Husbandry, SKUAST-Kashmir. Email ID: [email protected])
