Protecting animals with international law and policy

Whenever governments gather and agree on environmental policy and animal welfare related issues, animals are affected--directly and indirectly.  Decisions made in international conventions and agreements often substantially influence wildlife conservation and animal welfare as they guide international and national policy, legislation and budgetary priorities.

IFAW provides research about issues and advocates for the inclusion of animal welfare considerations into international agreements. We deliver expertise and help develop practical solutions that can reduce the suffering of individual animals and protect animal populations and their habitats.

A few of the international agreements and organizations in which we work include:

• United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
• International Whaling Commission (IWC)
• European Union (EU) legislation. It is of fundamental importance to EU member states--and has moved the animal welfare agenda forward markedly.
• The Council of Europe (CoE) has also agreed upon a set of animal welfare conventions, which are comprehensive and provide useful lobbying material for countries in the wider Europe.
• The International Organisation for Animal Health (the OIE),
• Convention on Migratory Species (CMS),
• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),
• Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) and more.

These international agreements and organisations can define consistent principals for protecting animals and habitat that may be implemented worldwide.  Slowly, but increasingly, governments recognise that animal welfare must be explicitly addressed at the global level. Once good decisions and commitments are made, good implementation and compliance are essential to really improve the situation for the animals that need protection. Therefore, IFAW supports the implementation of international agreements in part through effective enforcement of wildlife regulations, training of anti-poaching rangers, customs agents and wildlife law enforcement officers.

Leading experts who attended an international forum organized by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the University of Limerick, in June 2004 collaborated on Gaining Ground: In Pursuit of Ecological Sustainability.  The 425-page book, published in 2006, is FREE. Order it now.