October 22, 2009

If adopted, the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare would be the first international agreement recognizing the rights and welfare of animals everywhere. (ZT Pet News Photo Courtesy of the World Society for the Protection of Animals)

Will the UN Soon Protect Animals? “Animal welfare is not some unaffordable luxury. It is an essential part of the solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing us," said a spokesman regarding the first international declaration of animal rights.

UNITED NATIONS -- Though approximately 650 million of the world’s 1 billion poorest people depend on animals for their livelihoods, no universal declaration highlights the significance animals have on communities and individuals alike, especially those in developing nations. Similarly, animals still lack an international acknowledgement recognizing their rights and welfare.

That might soon change, though, given The World Society for the Protection of Animals’ latest campaign, which is urging the United Nations’ General Assembly to adopt an international agreement on animal welfare.

Based in London and with offices across the world, WSPA is attempting to bridge the world of animal welfare and sustainable development, showing governments and international bodies the significance animals -- both companion and livestock -- hold in many people’s daily lives.

“For many poor communities, a healthy donkey means goods to market, it means a healthy income for carriage drivers. The loss or incapacity of a donkey, horse or mule can lead to poverty and a spiral of debt,” said Mike Baker, director-general of the WSPA, at a UN press conference Thursday, Oct. 8.

“Animal welfare is not some unaffordable luxury. It is an essential part of the solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing us today, in particular for sustainable development.”

Baker specifically referenced refugees living in campus in Darfur, Sudan, who cited donkeys as “their most urgent problem,” following access to clean water and security. Donkeys are utilized to transport goods to marketplaces, as well as in the fields.

Similarly, internally displaced persons in Balakot, Pakistan sought to provide shelter for their animals following a recent earthquake; the animals’ viability was key in terms of providing families with milk and meat.

A Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare would recognize that animal cruelty must be eradicated, that animal welfare must be respected “and is an issue of importance as a part of the social development of nations,” according to the WSPA. The measure would also list animals as sentient beings, capable of feeling pain. The end result would be to establish this international, public consensus, while also encouraging governments to pass their own legislation and measures to protect animals.

The European Union, as well as other nations including New Zealand, Cambodia, Fiji and Tanzania, has already stepped forward to support the WSPA’s UDAW. Yet, according to the WSPA, UN endorsement is key in enacting any change, and pushing UDAW forward.

Representatives from more than 30 member nations affirmed their commitment to the cause of animal welfare at a gala Thursday, Oct. 8, according to Justine Holmes, head of the UDAW campaign.

“It’s a journey that we are going on and there is really a lot of momentum for this issue at the moment,” Holmes told Zootoo Pet News.

“The message we are trying to get across is when we are talking about animal welfare, you look around the world and in different regions the roles that animals play are varied, but all equally important,” Holmes continued. “In some countries people are totally dependent on animals for income or their well being; in order for these animals to survive and thrive, they need to become an integral part of the picture.

“If we are trying to achieve sustainable development on a global level, we have to take animals into account.”

That kind of inclusion would involve animals being a part of nations’ emergency relief plans, so people recovering from natural disasters, or conflict situations, will not have to consider if their animals will survive or not.

Encouraging governments to focus on livestock’s well being and maintenance could also ensure for healthier animals, and greater economic return from them.

“Looking at animals as part of the whole picture is a very practical solution,” noted Holmes. “It’s a practical application of the issue of animal welfare.”

Companion animals would also gain representation under UDAW, Holmes pointed out, noting that significance animals can have in therapeutic situations, and the connection between animal cruelty and violence against other humans.

“These are important links that can’t be denied,” she said.

WSPA is one of the world’s largest animal welfare organizations, with affiliations to more than 1,000 animal welfare groups in 150 nations. WSPA, a longtime advocate to alleviating animal suffering on a global scale, first began to develop UDAW in 2000, according to Holmes.

A large group of animal welfare organizations convened that year and conceived idea of establishing an international declaration, she recalled. Since then, WSPA has built its base of support on an international level, talking with different organizations and governments about the “real need for this,” Holmes said.

“There is value in this issue for every region of the world; animal welfare is important to all parties,” she explained.

UDAW is now working to with member states to incorporate UDAW into General Assembly resolutions currently under negotiation -- most likely GA Agenda Item 21, which focuses on sustainable development.

It may take months, or even years, to translate this “real ground flow” into actual change, according to Holmes, but she said that the organization is committed to seeing this project through.

The public, meanwhile, can log on to the campaign by signing the “Animals Matter to Me” petition; WSPA USA seeks to gain three million signatures by 2010. Thus far, WSPA has proved successful in also gaining celebrity support -- actresses Brooke Shields, Kristin Davis and Christina Applegate are only among the few who have signed the petition.

To learn more, visit AnimalsMatterUSA.org and WSPA-International.org.

Amy Lieberman is the Zootoo Pet News correspondent for the New York region and can be reached st alieberman@zootoo.com.