UN recognises role of working animals in disasters
Working animals will be protected from death and injury during disasters.
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has formally recognised the role of working animals in communities, particularly during the disaster.
Once implemented, the resolution means that working animals will be protected from death and injury during disasters. This includes their evacuation and emergency care during climate-related disasters.
The decision is the result of campaigning from the International Coalition of Working Equids (ICWE), which consists of Brooke, The Donkey Sanctuary, World Horse Welfare and SPANA. The group has been advocating for working animals in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction for almost ten years.
Working animals are an important part of the livelihoods of people in many communities in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Horses, donkeys, and mules support families by plowing fields, carrying water and transporting people.
However, ICWE has also highlighted the role of working animals during climate disasters.
Working equines are able to access many disaster-struck zones which vehicles can not reach. This helps evacuate people and get rescue workers in.
In the long term, they can also help to rebuild infrastructure and aid economic recovery.
Advocacy from equine charities has already meant that working animals have been included in the national disaster risk reduction plans of Guatemala and Nicaragua.
The charities have continued to work closely with communities affected by disasters, ensuring animals are evacuated and the people are supported. They collected evidence from these situations and produced a roadmap for protecting animals.
This was then presented to policymakers, including national governments and the UN, providing communities with representation in major meetings.
The ICWE has hailed the latest development as a ‘major milestone’ in international policy.
Anne Marry, senior global external affairs advisor at Brooke, said: “Across Asia, Africa and Latin America where we work, we see every day how some of the poorest communities are ravaged by climate disasters. Their working animals are often all they have.
“We are proud to have been able to take their voices to the corridors of power at the United Nations and advocate for the protection of their animals – the most vital resilience assets in the face of climate change.”
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Joanne Webster, a professor of parasitic diseases at the RVC, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).
