UNEA-6: Environmental Resolutions Neglect Animal Welfare
FOUR PAWS disappointed by missed opportunity to include animal welfare topics
Sydney, 4 March 2024 – Today, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS expressed its deep disappointment regarding the recent resolutions adopted at the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi. Despite a previous consensus reached at UNEA-5 in 2022, the plenary sessions and final resolutions at UNEA-6 failed to acknowledge the nexus between animal welfare, environment, and sustainable development. FOUR PAWS urges member states worldwide to uphold their commitments and support the previously agreed-upon Animal Welfare Nexus Resolution.
"While the adoption of 15 resolutions at UNEA is a positive step towards addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, it is gravely concerning to see animal welfare neglected. By overlooking the interconnectedness of these issues, the assembly has missed an important opportunity to advance progress on all fronts. When animals suffer, humans and our planet suffer,” says FOUR PAWS CEO and President Josef Pfabigan, mentioning factory farming as one example.
He further emphasised the urgency of integrating animal welfare into global environmental efforts: “We are calling on policy makers to acknowledge the important role of animal welfare in environmental sustainability and support the Animal Welfare Nexus Resolution. To safeguard our planet and human wellbeing, we urgently need a shift towards more sustainable ecological lifestyles and food systems that prioritise higher animal welfare standards,” says Pfabigan.
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About FOUR PAWS
FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them.
Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, animals in fashion, farm animals, and wild animals – such as bears, big cats, and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones.
With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in eleven countries, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org.au