Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare
Please support the campaign to achieve a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) at the United Nations.
In principle, the Universal Declaration will call on the United Nations to recognise animals as sentient beings, capable of experiencing pain and suffering, and to recognise that animal welfare is an issue of importance as part of the social development of nations worldwide.
The campaign to achieve the UDAW is being co-ordinated by the World Society for the Protection of Animals, with a core working group including Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Humane Society International (HSI).
A Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare would be an agreement among people and nations that:
- Animals are sentient and can suffer
- Animals’ welfare needs must be respected
- Animal cruelty must end for good.
View the draft declaration (
65KB)
What will it achieve?
The adoption of a UDAW by the United Nations would:
- Establish animal welfare as an international issue
- Encourage governments to improve and enforce national animal welfare legislation by providing a benchmark
- Recognise that animal welfare is a key factor in humanitarian and environmental policy making
- Encourage industries which use animals to keep welfare at the forefront
- Acknowledge the risks to animals caused by environmental factors such as climate change, habitat loss and pollution
- Create a more compassionate global attitude to animal welfare, including their needs and habitats
A declaration would also enhance the lives of over 1 billion people who rely on animals for their livelihoods, and the countless others look to animals for companionship.
You can support this campaign by signing the "Animals Matter to me" petition:
Visit the petition website and sign the declaration