History & Background:

The Afghanistan Veterinary Association was established in 1996 in order to meet an urgent need for the reliable delivery of animal health care services in a nation whose livestock had been devastated by decades of warfare followed by years of drought. Composed of veterinarians, assistant veterinarians and para-vets, The AVA provides support to its 865 members through the distribution of quality

Afghanistan's veterinarians now have the opportunity, with the "breathing space" which has been provided by current assistance, to begin asserting greater control over their own professional destiny. To do so, they also have the opportunity to benefit from the examples provided by their colleagues throughout the world, in establishing a professional organization dedicated to their own interests.

Vaccines and medicines; training; and the outfitting, staffing, support and monitoring of its current 135 Veterinary Field Units. To meet these goals, AVA maintains its national headquarters in Kabul, and 7 regional offices including Kabul, Nangahar, Gardez, Herat, Kandahar, Balkh and Qunduz.

A member services organization, AVA primary purpose is to develop a strong private sector for the delivery of animal health care services. As such, AVA works to develop models for the privatization process. AVA represents the private veterinary sector in discussions and negotiations with the government, universities, and aid organizations.

AVA recognizes the important role of government in animal health programs, regulation, and disease surveillance and control. AVA is committed to building strong relationships between the private and public sectors, and to integrating these sectors in ways that best serves the needs of the country. AVA’s expertise has been recognized through its funded projects, and partnerships with the Governments of Afghanistan and the Netherlands, UNDP, FAO, USAID, USDA and the HLP Project of the World Bank.