United Nations resolution places animal welfare at the heart of sustainable development

World environment ministers converging in Nairobi, Kenya in March 2022 for the 5th Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) have adopted a resolution on Animal Welfare.

The resolution dubbed ‘Animal Welfare – Environment – Sustainable Development Nexus’ was adopted in what marks the beginning of a critical global conversation regarding the inevitable interlinkages across animal welfare, the environment and sustainable development.

It outlines how the exploitation and inhumane use of animals is a key driver of the triple environmental crises of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution, as well as the emergence of pandemics such as the current global COVID-19 pandemic.

It also looks at how the integration of animal welfare in the work of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) would benefit the delivery of its Medium-Term Strategy and Programme of Work as well as the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), and the urgency in this regard for the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) to consider the adoption of the resolution.

The drafting process which began in 2019 concluded with the ultimate tabling of the resolution by Seven sponsoring countries: Ghana, Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Senegal, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Democratic Republic of Congo. The resolution gained a near-universal concurrence among Member States.   

Tennyson Williams, Director for Africa, World Animal Protection said:

“This is an exciting development since, animal welfare has been neglected in most international sustainable development strategies. There was no better time of adopting this resolution than now.   

United Nations Environment Assembly has clearly sent a strong message demonstrating that the world is waking up especially after the ravages of Covid 19. While we might not be sure where coronavirus originated, we do know that habitat destruction, factory farming, and wildlife trade contribute to emergence of infectious diseases.  

This is a bold step that should provoke other policy bodies to recognize the sentience of animals as it is inextricably linked to the conservation of the environment and promotion of people’s livelihoods.  

The task is now on the implementation of this resolution which will require transformative changes to guarantee success.”  

The adoption of animal welfare within UNEP’s policy mandate will help broaden and enrich its science-policy base, leading to better-informed and more effective policymaking and programme development. It will also help with the achievement of many SDGs and the prevention of future pandemics.

Thanks to your support, we've been part of a Technical Team that has supported the seven sponsoring countries in the process of conceptualizing the resolution and promoting buy-in from other member states for over two years. With you by our side, we look forward to working with the UNEP, the Tripartite and all other stakeholders on the implementation of this all-important resolution.

The 6th Session of the UNEA will be held at UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi from 26^th February to 1^st march 2024.

This is a bold step that should provoke other policy bodies to recognize the sentience of animals as it is inextricably linked to the conservation of the environment and promotion of people’s livelihoods.