Some of you may wonder why we should make changes in the Cynological World. We have financial stability. Dog registrations and entries at dog events around the world are on a rise. Should we really put so much effort on changing something that is not broken?

Yes, and more needs to be done.

In our world - changing faster than ever - the success of yesterday means nothing for today. The success of today gives you only the opportunity to drive the change for tomorrow. Based on a solid foundation of 100 years of history we have together started to anticipate the upcoming challenges about 2 years ago. The challenges we are already facing and more important the challenges we can already see on the horizon. If we do not address these challenges here and now we will be hit by them very soon. If we do not drive these changes ourselves others will drive us to them. We want to be the leaders of change, not the object of change.

The British philosopher Bertrand Russell once said, “...change is scientific, progress ethical". For a values-based organisation like the FCI it is not enough to change just for the sake of change. For us, change has to be more than a cosmetic effect or just a procedure, change has to have a goal. And this goal is progress.

In 2013, in my presidential candidacy message I presented the FCI Plan for the Future. That plan was the foundation to make the necessary changes in our organisation.

This time we must have a goal to go further. Together we must set that goal and work as one to achieve it. That goal should have the wellness of dogs around the world as the primary objective.

The FCI Agenda 2020 will be a strategic and detailed plan to guide the FCI for the next 5 years.

The FCI Agenda 2020 will take into consideration all of your ideas and suggestions and will focus in leading the discussion of the welfare of dogs around the world and secure the future of our organisation.

The FCI Agenda 2020 will lead and guide the discussions of the cynological world starting in 2016 and will address four overarching topics of Dog Welfare, Anti dog legislations, Cooperation and Youth.

• The FCI Youth will be an important aspect of our future. I will continue to support youth initiatives in all of our countries to make sure that we keep the best human resources that will keep the FCI going forward and protecting pure-bred dogs.
• We must continue to support our members in their efforts to protect dogs and their wellness. As the biggest canine organisation, we will keep supporting initiatives that ensure dog’s health and future, like the International Partnership for Dogs and any other non-profit initiatives. The FCI Scientific and Standards Commission will contribute to these efforts. We will entrust our commissions with specific investigations that will contribute, with important findings, the global discussion of dog welfare.
• Anti dog legislations are the biggest threat to cynology, pure-bred dogs and dog owners around the world. These legislations are being introduced into our countries without the correct scientific data and without the experience of national canine organisations. As the World biggest dog advocate, we will insert ourselves in this discussion and lead it, to protect dog’s and their owners best interest. The FCI Agenda 2020 will develop the necessary measures to confront this matter, including an FCI lobbyist within the European Community, to insert us in this important discussion on National and International levels.
• Last but not least, and for me the most important element of the FCI Agenda 2020, is cooperation. Cooperation between the FCI Members, cooperation between people who love dogs. To be able to reach our goal, it is important that we work on how we are going to cooperate with each other. We will design the necessary tool to hear everyone in the FCI.

Our vision must be a world where animal welfare matters and dog cruelty has ended. In the FCI Agenda 2020, our organisation will take a strong stand to protect our dogs. We will promote dogs as culture and induce lifestyle choices to global action, initiatives that will be carried on by our National Organisations.

This FCI Agenda 2020 is like a jigsaw puzzle. Every piece, every recommendation that you suggest will have the same importance. Only when you put all these pieces together we will see the whole picture. We will see progress in ensuring the success of the FCI, progress in safeguarding the dogs and progress in strengthening dog-oriented cultures in society.

Progress needs cooperation. The FCI future needs us. I believe we can seize the future together because we are not divided, as some may say. FCI is greater than the sum of our individual ambitions and we remain more than a collection of big and small countries.

Together, with your help, we will continue our journey forward and remind the cynological world that we are the biggest and the most important organisation for dogs worldwide. We are and for ever will be the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.

Rafael de Santiago
FCI General Assembly 2015