“The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated” Mahatma Gandhi once said.

This is why we are here today. We are representing nations that decided to protect and preserve human’s best friend. We are working not only for our dogs, but also for the greatness of our countries.

I take this opportunity to thank all of you for your efforts on representing your countries in this year’s General Assembly.

Dear delegates, Welcome to the 2015 General Assembly of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.

15 years ago, Milan celebrated the 27^th FCI World Dog Show, the first of this millennium. Today the ENCI has organised another magnificent World Dog Show with more than 29,000 entries, making this year’s World Dog Show, one of the biggest dog events in the World.

Therefore I would very much like, on behalf of the FCI General Committee and all FCI members, to congratulate the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana for the great success of this year’s event and thank you for receiving the FCI General Assembly. Thank you President Dino Muto. I am sure that this week will be filled with emotions and love toward our beloved dogs.

Two years ago in Budapest, the FCI changed its course to a new future. After more than 30 successful years under the leadership of President Müller, together, we started a new era for the world’s most important canine organisation.

You can inspire others to change, only if you are ready to change yourself.

I was ready and determined to make the necessary changes and adjustments to improve and secure the relevance of the FCI in today’s world.

After the 2013 Assembly, a new General Committee was constituted. As new president, I wanted to be sure that we worked together as a team, for the benefit of our organisation, our members and - of course - for the benefit of countless of dogs and dog owners around the world.

Each of us possesses great competences that complement us and make us a great team. Since then, we have been able to realise a phenomenal work.

I really appreciate the hard work of our General Committee. Mr Vice-President Jipping, Mrs Treasurer Molinari, dear Mr Jakkel, Mr Jarvinen, Mr Stefik, Mr Hindse, Mr Santos and Mr Martínez thank you for your support, your guidance and your trust.

I will also like to recognise a person who, for many years devoted to the FCI and was key to the development and grow of the FCI in Asia, former president of the Asia and the Pacific Section, Mr Takemi Nagamura.

Today we welcome the new President of the Americas and the Caribbean Section, Dr José Luis Payró. I am sure that Dr Payró will continue Mr Martínez’ spirit of cooperation and dedication to the FCI as representative of the Americas in the General Committee.

Thanks to this team, with the support of our National Members, and the devoted associates at the FCI, lead by our Executive Director Yves de Clercq we have commenced and shaped the new future of the FCI.

These 2 years have been extremely challenging, but with high levels of achievements and great success.

My experience in public relations and communications have taught me the benefits of listening, specially to those to whom you serve. We could not start working and shaping the future of the FCI without knowing what our members think about the FCI, what you and your people expect from the FCI, what we were doing good, and where we can improve.

In 2013 we conducted the first ever Member’s Satisfaction Survey. As a global organisation, the FCI must maintain constant contact with its National Canine Organisations in order to meet their needs, help them in their national matters and fulfil our purpose on ensuring and protecting dogs worldwide.

In this online survey, presidents of our National Canine Organisations could freely express their opinion about our organisation. Their opinions helped us determine our priorities, draw our path for the future and make the necessary changes to make our organisation relevant to dog owners around the globe. Although not all NCOs answered the survey, the results were clear and fundamental on the decisions looking into the future.

But not everything can be done online.

During my judging assignments around the World, I took the opportunity to double my duties and represent the FCI. During my visits I was able to meet with NCO presidents to learn first-hand about their realities, their success and their needs.

I am really impressed and proud on how the recognition of the FCI beyond Europe has grown in the last years. It is remarkable to see how proud countries are of being part of the FCI. Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Latin America continue to improve the cynology and their pride towards the FCI.

Our European Section, as always under the leadership of Mr Jorgen Hindse, continues to lead cynology around the world. The International Partnership for Dogs, an initiative of the Nordic countries and supported by many NCOs, has established the importance of the study of dog’s health. We are happy to say that the FCI is a proud member of this important project for the future of dog’s health. And we will continue our support to this important initiative. It is our responsibility to support initiatives that seek the protection and wellness of pure-bred dogs.

In 2 years, great changes have been made. Our image around the world has grown like never before. The FCI has received inquiries from National Organisations in countries where dogs were not part of the culture. Countries not known for their relation with dogs. This means that our message to protect and preserve all dogs worldwide is being heard.

Nigeria, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Trinidad and Tobago are some of the countries who have expressed their interest in joining the FCI or our help to develop their National Cynology.

In two years, we welcomed three contract partners: Armenia, Kosovo and Egypt. I am sure that we will be adding more countries to our organisation in the upcoming years.

To be a global organisation it is necessary to have the best communications and technological tools available. In 2014, and after a deem review of our Internet presence, the FCI launched its new official website, with updated content and useful information for our members, but also for individuals seeking information about the FCI, dog breeds and more.

This new FCI webpage is the beginning of a transformation into a more dynamic and modern organisation. One of the main purposes of the webpage is to improve our services to our members.

The new interface provides to our members the opportunity to realise most of their transactions with the FCI office. These transactions include accountancy, dog show applications, statistics, circulars and much more. I promise you that this page will keep improving to serve the needs of our members.

It is important to keep improving our online presence and interface to maintain our leadership in dog-related topics.

In 2014, we started with the construction of the expansion of the FCI Offices in Thuin. The very well-planned extension will serve the FCI with state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure for the future of the FCI, the FCI Dog Museum and many of our initiatives. Although it was inaugurated this year, the FCI now has a world class facility.

During 2013 and 2014, the FCI and the Kennel Club worked together to reach an agreement between the two organisations regarding the mutual recognition of judges. After years of multiple meetings and discussions, the Kennel Club and the FCI reached and signed an agreement that will benefit both organisations and will allow the exchange of knowledge between the FCI countries and the UK.

This achievement would not have been possible without the excellent work and persistence of Mr Tamas Jakkel, Mrs Carla Molinari and Mr Horst Kliebestein.

During the World Dog Show 2014 in Helsinki, Finland, the FCI launched its most important initiative in years: FCI Youth. This initiative has been created to insure the future of our organisation as we encourage future generations to work for the protection and well-being of dogs worldwide.

The first stage of FCI Youth is to encourage FCI’s national canine organisations to create and support youth organisations in their respective country, aiming to become an essential part of them.

The FCI General Committee appointed seven young leaders from around the World to develop and lead the FCI initiatives towards the youth community, at the same time becoming a reliable and trustful source for your organisation. It will be their responsibility to support and guide your National Youth Organisation in anything they might need in order to establish, maintain and guide national initiatives. They will also encourage a commitment to ALL cynological activities from teens, young adults and young professionals within our national canine organisations.

Existing National Youth Organisations will be vital as they will be used as examples of how youth benefit national cynology.

Please pay attention to the FCI Youth presentation tomorrow. They have something to tell you.

It has been two years of great stories and challenges. I am confident that the FCI is on the correct path to a bright future.

I like to wish you a very productive and successful General Assembly.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your trust, and above all for your devotion and commitment to protect dogs worldwide.