Last week, our Advocacy team represented donkeys for a sixth year at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (UNHLPF) in New York.
We first took the cause of working donkeys and mules to the UN in 2017, taking the opportunity to raise awareness of donkeys' roles in supporting sustainable development and ensuring that they receive adequate protection.
Ian Cawsey, our Director of Advocacy & Campaigns, says: "In recent years, we have gone from being an unknown organisation in this field of work to a respected partner. We are now in the wider discussions about sustainable development and the importance of working animals and their welfare.
Collaboration and adaptation
Highlights from the last six years include 2019, when we attended the UNHLPF under the International Coalition for Working Equids (ICWE) umbrella group with partners Brooke, SPANA and World Horse Welfare. As a group, ICWE brings its experiences from different countries and varied climates to present a truly global picture of the lives of working donkeys, horses and mules.
Drawing on these experiences, ICWE highlights how better care for working equines can help support better livelihoods for those who depend on them.
In 2020, adapting to the circumstances caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we hosted a virtual side event alongside World Horse Welfare, supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and Permanent Mission of the Republic to the UN, represented by HE Ambassador Abdoulaye Barro.
On the agenda for 2022
The theme for the 2022 forum was 'Building back better from Covid-19 while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'.
Ian says: "There is no doubt that the pandemic has made everyone think long and hard about the interactions between the environment, the way we live and how we share the planet with all who inhabit it.
"Although in-person meetings have not been possible due to the global pandemic, this has not stopped us playing a leading role in getting donkeys and mules, as well as other working animals, onto the agenda of key decision makers.
"Earlier this year, the UN agreed to create a report on the links between animal welfare, the environment and sustainable development. This would have been unthinkable only a few years ago, and we were one of the animal welfare groups who crafted that resolution and worked to get it adopted."
Advocacy in action
At this year's UNHLPF, our Advocacy team hosted a side event alongside World Horse Welfare. The event saw several guest speakers highlight the need for different sectors of the sustainable development community to work towards a common cause.
Reflecting on the side event, Ian says: “We saw much interest in how well cared for donkeys, mules and other working animals are, in many countries, supporting progress towards a sustainable future."
Also on the agenda were important discussions on the opportunities and lessons learned in advance of a 2023 midterm review of a disaster risk reduction programme known as the SENDAI Framework. This UN agreement aims to help countries reduce disaster risk and build resilience, important steps in protecting any gains made through sustainable development.
Given the crucial role donkeys and mules often play in responding to disasters and recovery projects, these are important areas for our work.
Looking to the future
Ian concludes: "We have made really strong progress in our work at the UN. We have been able to integrate our work into the wider considerations of how animals and humans live together on a planet that is sustainable for future generations.
"There is much to do, but we are making an impact which is heartening to see".
