New York: September 2023
Vegan International has been invited to participate in a High-Level event: For Nature and People: From Ambition to Action, by the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations, on behalf of the governments of Bhutan, Colombia, Costa Rica, European Union, France, Nigeria, United Kingdom and its partners. This high-level event on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly aims to demonstrate a clear momentum at the highest-level in rapidly translating ambition to halt and reverse biodiversity loss into tangible and impactful actions. Vegan International will present compelling evidence that Speciesism is the greatest threat to biodiversity, human and planetary health and requires unprecedented and immediate action.
Berlin: October 2023
Vegan International will again participate in the United Nations World Health Organization World Health Summit. The WHS brings together thought-leaders and decision-makers to put global health on the agenda of international politics. The devastating consequences of climate change, ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, and pollution, epidemics, food insecurity, water scarcity, natural disasters threaten health and well-being on a global scale. Vegan International will demonstrate that Speciesism is the root cause of pandemics, Non-Communicable Diseases, is a major cause of air, water and land pollution, and needs to end now.
Vegan International is advocating a United Nations Convention Against Speciesism, which is the greatest threat to humans and the planet. United Nations Conventions protect against Genocide and Torture, and protect Women and Children. Why not protect all vulnerable individuals especially when lack of protection for all species is responsible for most current disasters?
There is growing pressure for the International Criminal Court to make Ecocide the world’s fifth international crime, alongside Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and the Crime of Aggression. The island nation of Vanuatu supports Ecocide as a crime in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Other small island nation states also advocating this include Tuvalu, Maldives, Samoa, Antigua and Barbuda. Bangladesh, Belgium and Finland have also expressed support for the ecocide conversation in the International Criminal Court.
There are also movements to give Nature rights, specifically: Guatemala recognizes water as a living entity. Ecuador has enforceable non-human rights in its Constitution. Bolivia gives ‘buen vivir’ (good living) to everyone of all species. Argentina has the world’s only ban on salmon farming. Uganda expressed concern for Mother Earth, all species on Earth, and the well-being of the planet. Benin, Kenya and Zimbabwe are creating and recognizing rights for nature and all species.
While these are important, they generally overlook the greatest threat of all – Speciesism. Lack of international enforceable protection for all sentient beings is the root cause of the NCDs, which are responsible for 75% of human deaths worldwide according to WHO, pandemics, which are zoonotic, pollution of air, water and land, as well as global warming which threatens the survival of all life on planet Earth. There is no more effective way to resolve the complex issues facing humanity and threatening to destroy the planet than to End Speciesism. It is a simple solution to complex problems, and most importantly, the right thing to do. Enforceable rights belong to all the inhabitants and all species of planet Earth, not just to those in the human species.
A UN Convention is needed to promote and protect the rights of all species. This Convention would be an internationally recognized instrument for the protection of all inhabitants of Earth. Currently there are no international rights or protection afforded to the most vulnerable on the planet, or to the planet itself. Speciesism, the exploitation, and violent abuse of individuals of another species, is not recognized as a category of discrimination, and is widely tolerated throughout the world. Species other than human are excluded from any protection, are treated as objects instead of rights holders, and are subjected to violence and abuse of all kinds. Respect for the rights of all species benefits everyone: humans, those of other species, and the planet.
A UN Convention Against Speciesism finally ‘leaves no one behind’. It creates a ‘place at the table’ for all inhabitants of planet Earth. This proposed new UN Convention would bring clarity to the nature of the rights of all species, and to the responsibilities necessary to protect them. It would view all species as rights-holders, and these rights would be in a single document. In addition, it would raise public awareness in those nations which do not ratify this Convention.
Humans have rights, Nature is receiving some rights, when will Animals have rights? Now is the time!
Vegan International is supported in part by Liberty 61 Books (wwwLiberty61Books.com), a specialty Publisher focusing on Non-Fiction topics including: Health, Science, Biography, Travel, Inspiration, Peace, Justice and other relevant topics. Liberty 61 Books is dedicated to the concept of Justice, and founded on the Biblical verse in Isaiah Chapter 61: “Creator God brings Liberty to the Captives, and sets the Prisoners free.” Published books include: “Where Do You Get Your Protein? Rethinking Food”, “A Plant-Based Lifestyle For Your And The Planet”, “Beyond The Anthropocene Epoch”, and “The Search For Raoul Wallenberg – The Truth”.
Leave a Reply