With a little over a century of history behind it, the FCI has a very promising
future. I believe in this future, I believe in the FCI and I feel sure that in our
hearts we know that, for the FCI, the best is still to come.
I have a vision of what the FCI should represent in the future, for every member
country, for every breeder, for every competitor and for every dog owner. I see
the FCI as a frontline organisation, which sets the tone for discussion in the international
dog community, with a spirit of openness, in an atmosphere of intellectual dialogue
and as a global brand which looks to the best interests of dogs and their owners
worldwide.
As president, my work schedule will be based upon the common good, communication
and teamwork.
My plan can be summed up in terms of three main themes:
- Modernisation and innovation
- Empowerment
- Growth
Modernisation and innovation
The FCI must open up to new ideas in order to solve everyday problems and improve
communication, the exchanging of ideas and the dissemination of information.
We shall be strengthening our online presence, with a portal offering interactive
information, which will be informative and kept up-to-date and it will set out to
act as a reference source for breeders, vets, scientists, journalists and the general
public.
We shall be forging commercial alliances which will provide the organisation with
new revenue streams, such as the sale of advertising space on www.fci.be, and other
marketing methods.
Empowerment
We need to entrust our main commissions with the task of presenting and publishing
investigative, historical and social work with the aim of becoming a global reference
centre, with educational and investigative information, and taking full advantage
of our global reach.
Growth
We need to continue expanding our horizons and encourage more members to join our
organisation, and to do this I shall be identifying countries in which the love
of dogs is developing so that we can offer them our help in improving their organisations
and also in order to benefit their dogs. However, we must also strengthen and back
up our current members when they experience problems and support them in the struggles
they face in their own countries. We must promote the growth of canine activities
in all countries and support educational initiatives.
The FCI must look to the future beyond its worldwide presence, which means that
we need to stimulate participation in our organisation by young people and young
adults, which means that I shall be setting up a youth committee, which will be
strictly in line with the aim of listening to and identifying any ideas, concerns
and suggestions they may have which may be of benefit to the FCI.
Our commitment to dogs is and will remain unshakable, which means that the FCI will
be watching over the well-being of dogs around the whole world. It will often be
a hard road, but at the same time it is a very promising one. I feel sure that I
can guide the FCI towards a road to a brilliant future. Let’s do it together!
Rafael de Santiago
President of the FCI