Vegan International is promoting a United Nations
Convention Against Speciesism

A new 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 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. It 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. It helps achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by
ultimately reducing poverty, achieving food security, improving nutrition,
promoting sustainable veganic agriculture, reducing human mortality and
morbidity from diet related disease such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer,
sustainably managing the scarce resources of land and water, combating climate
change, sustainably managing forests, and reducing pollution of air, water, and
land.

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.

Because Animal Agriculture is the leading cause of Climate Change, resulting, among other things, in the destruction of Small Island Nations and coastal areas, is a major contributor to global pollution of air, water, and land, habit destruction, species extinction, and is a causative factor in many human illnesses;

Because the slaughter of billions of individuals a year is genocide;

Because exploitive treatment is torture;
Because there is no ‘humane’ way to slaughter or murder an individual or group;

Because there is no ‘humane’ way to forcefully collect semen, artificially inseminate, and impregnate, an individual or group;

Because no family of any species should be forcibly separated;

Because sustainable energy is an efficient and economical alternative for replacing the need for working animals as soon as possible;

Because of sensitivity to the unnatural plight of animals suffering in captivity for human pleasure in zoos, and other forms of human entertainment;

Because of abundant alternatives to medical and other testing on animals;

Because indiscriminate human activities, often to provide for animal agriculture, has caused, and is causing, habitat destruction and species extinction;

Because the rights outlined in the 1948 United Nations Convention Against

Genocide and the 1984 United Nations Convention Against Torture need to be applied indiscriminately to all individuals on planet Earth;

Because peaceful co-existence among species is necessary to insure survival of planet Earth, and for the sake of Justice for all,

This Convention hereby forbids any and all discrimination or preferential treatment based on species. It is hereby forbidden, and will be considered a punishable crime, to violate any portion of this Convention Against Speciesism.