Near East Animal Health Institute (NEAHI): 1962-1972
The Near East Animal Health Institutes (NEAHI) regional project was undertaken by five Near East countries- Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan, United Arab Republic- with assistance from the United Nations Special Fund.
The objective of the project was the establishment of an animal health institute for research to aid in the control of priority animal diseases of economic importance in each of the five countries. A Coordinating Unit located in Beirut, Lebanon coordinated the project. In December 1960 the governing council of the Special Fund approved individual requests from each of the five countries for support for an initial five-year period, and appointed FAO as the executing agency. The Special Fund contribution, covering international staff, fellowships and specialized equipment, totalled USD 3,425,000 and the Government contributions, for local professional and supporting staff, land, buildings, equipment and supplies, amounted collectively to approximately USD 2.5 million. The individual plans of operation were signed early in 1962.
The NEAHI’s initial achievement created awareness in the Near East countries on the importance of animal health to the livestock sector. The value of these achievements depended, however, on continuation of the work until the individual Institutes were firmly established and run by local staff. The long-term objectives of NEAHI were to strengthen and stabilize the institutional structures servicing the livestock industry in the region, and the follow-up programme was designed with these aims. The request by Near East governments for continued support of NEAHI operations reflected their appreciation of the importance of the growth of the livestock sector in the overall economic development, and indicated the expanding role NEAHI could play in the future development of the Region. In March 1967, in close consultation with FAO, the government’s of Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and UAR for the Special Fund assistance to NEAHI Phase II was developed, and marked Cyprus and Jordan as new countries for the establishment of new NEAHI Institutes. The Phase II of the project ended in 1972, but remnants of these institutes can still be seen today as national institutions