At their annual meeting in Paris on May 25, members of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) gave overwhelming support to a new Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare. The declaration is proposed by the UK-based World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), which hopes to collect 10 million signatures worldwide and have the declaration adopted by the United Nations.

OIE members, including chief veterinary officers from around the world, voted for the resolution in order to achieve worldwide acceptance of animal welfare as an important issue, and called on governments to support the goal. To find out more about the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare, please visit Animals Matter online.

WSPA is the world’s largest federation of animal welfare organizations, representing over 800 member societies in more than 147 countries, and is the only animal welfare organization to have consultative status at the United Nations and the Council of Europe. ASPCA President Ed Sayres serves on the WSPA Board of Directors.

WSPA was formerly headquartered in Boston in the United States but moved to England a few years ago.