World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) is an intergovernmental organization created by an international agreement signed by 28 countries on January 25, 1924. By December 1999, the number of OIE member states had reached 155.

The functions of the World Organization for Animal Health mainly include the following three aspects:

Inform governments of animal epidemics worldwide and the causes of these epidemics, as well as methods of controlling them.

- Conduct international research on the surveillance and control of animal diseases on a global scale.

- Harmonize the regulations and standards of member states in the trade of animals and animal products.