Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare

The time has come for a truly groundbreaking campaign to achieve international agreement on the importance of animal welfare.

The future of animal welfare lies in forming a united global animal welfare movement, working together to achieve one aim: international recognition that animal welfare matters.

The Governments of Kenya, India, Philippines, Costa Rica and the Czech Republic are officially backing the promotion of the Declaration and will soon be joined by many more. The aim of the campaign is to present an overwhelming case for the Declaration, both in terms of its content and the number of governments supporting it.

However, while some governments (including the UK and Australia) have already stated their support for improving animal welfare standards, there are currently no clear international principles recognizing our responsibilities towards the welfare of sentient animals.

Why is this so important?

Globally recognized principles of animal welfare through the pronouncement of a Universal Declaration could help achieve the following:

• Recognition of the importance of the welfare of sentient animals;
• Improved practices for sustainable agriculture;
• Lessened risk of transmissible diseases such as BSE, rabies, bird flu;
• More productive relationships between people and the animals under their control including companion animals, working animals, and farm animals;
• A more compassionate global attitude to animals and their welfare, including attitudes towards their needs and habitats;
• Promote biodiversity and acknowledge the risks to animals caused by climate change, habitat loss, pollution and other environmental factors;
• Provide a benchmark for those countries with little or no animal welfare standards to aim for.

The Coalition

The Universal Declaration campaign has the support of over 300 WSPA member societies. 80 animal welfare groups are working hard to promote this campaign and spread the word about the need for global consideration of animals and their welfare. You can see a list of these groups here.

Member societies continue to make an invaluable contribution to the campaign, both in collecting signatures for the petition and raising awareness of the issues in their local communities. Working together, we believe we can persuade governments to make a real difference to animal welfare by making an official Declaration.

Member societies can sign up to receive further campaign support and updates.

Public Support

Through the Animals Matter to Me campaign, we are hoping to garner the support of millions of people worldwide to show governments that we have a responsibility to care for animals and their welfare, particularly in those situations where their lives are directly influenced by people’s actions.

You can sign the petition on the form to the right of this page, or visit the Animals Matter to Me website for more information.

Universal Decalaration on Animal Welafre text

UDAW text (PDF 19KB) >>